


Teenage Rebellion Never Worked Out So Well

by panda_bear21



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Cute, Friends to Lovers, Harry in headscarves, M/M, Niall and Zayn are the worst friends ever, louis is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-03-20 07:50:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3642459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_bear21/pseuds/panda_bear21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m an adult!”  He glanced down at Harry, who seemed anything but at the moment, where he was definitely on the brink of a temper tantrum.  “We’re both adults!”<br/>Jay glanced to Anne again, before breathing out a heavy sigh. “Yes, but you’re both adults that do not have jobs and who live off of our money…  Which means, you have to do what we say… or you’ll have to find a new place to live.”<br/>“You wouldn’t do that.”  Louis dared, hoping his glare was enough to guilt trip his mother into calling the whole thing off.  Or to tell them that it had all just been a huge joke and they weren’t actually being forced into marrying a complete stranger.<br/>“Oh, but we would.”</p>
<p>Or the super cliché arranged marriage fic where things escalate way too quickly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elizamackenzie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizamackenzie/gifts).



> This is dedicated to my bestie [elizamackenzie](http://archiveofourown.org/users/elizamackenzie/pseuds/elizamackenzie) for her 20th birthday that was... like a month ago. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVE! You're the greatest and I hope you enjoy! <3 <3 <3

The smallest wisp of steam curled towards Louis’ chin where he had a teacup poised beneath his apprehensive frown.  He took a sip, retracting the ornate porcelain after a pause to respond to his mother’s query with a wary tone, “Yes, I remember Anne...”

She gave him a carefully crafted smile, the crinkles by her eyes appearing only momentarily before they were gone again in a flash.  Suspicious…  “Good!  Well she’s coming over today, and she’s bringing her son, Harry, with her…  You’ll join us for tea, yes?”

He glanced down to where there were already four teacups set out on the table in front of them – his and his moms already full – and he realized that when she’d asked him to tea that morning, she must have already had their meeting planned.

It seemed he didn’t actually have much of a choice in the decision anyways.

His groan quickly dissolved into a weak whine as it went.  Louis hated joining his mum and her friends for tea.  It too often ended with him having to talk about all the ‘spectacular’ things he was doing in school; which he _wasn’t_ doing anything spectacular (unless being absent to mostly every single one of his lectures counted as an exceptional feat.  In which case, he was remarkable).

In fact, the only reason he was attending class at all was for his parents’ sake.  Since he would be inheriting the family business at the age of thirty, in four years’ time, it didn’t really seem to matter whether he graduated or not.

The thing that had him giving his mother puppy dog eyes in hope of not actually having to stay though, was that their tea visits so often preluded her asking him to ‘entertain’ their guest’s children while she and the other ‘adults’ continued talking about all the trivial things they so often did.  Louis hated being a free agent babysitter.

He didn’t even have time to respond in words how awful of an idea it was before his mom was pinching his cheek and beaming at him, cooing in excitement.  It was at that moment, when Louis was taking another sip of rather bitter tea that their guests arrived, being ushered out to the patio by one of the Tomlinson’s many maids.

“Jay!”  The newcomer called as Louis’ mom stood to greet her with a kiss to each cheek.

“Anne, it’s so great to see you!”  Jay cheered back, as if the more thrilled they could sound, the better.  They pulled each other into tight hugs, quickly commenting on the other’s state of health and how much they absolutely ‘loved’ what the other did with their hair.

Louis huffed on his tea to cool it more before standing to greet their guests, like the good host he’d been raised to be.   “Hello Anne…”  He greeted, as the woman with the dark hair and strangely youthful look (though she couldn’t have been that much older than his own mom) came over to hug him in reception.

“Louis, this is my son, Harry.”  She introduced, gesturing towards the lad he hadn’t noticed was standing in the doorway.

And Louis balked.  Anne’s son was most certainly not babysitting age…

And perhaps entertaining him would not be as much of a chore as Louis had previously thought.

He slowly appraised the lad, noticing almost immediately the mass of unruly chocolate curls he had half-heartedly shoved under a blue headscarf; the fabric really only serving the purpose of emphasizing how unbelievably green his eyes were.  And when he caught those sparkling eyes looking back at his own, Harry -that was the boy’s name- smiled cordially towards him, dimples appearing on rosy cheeks and completely mystifying Louis with how extremely endearing they made the lad look.

“Uh, hi.”  He responded to Anne’s words by engaging Harry instead.

The attractive boy replied with an equally awkward, “Hello…”

And then they sat, sipping delicately at their tea as the mother’s chattered on for another few minutes about the most recent gossip they’d heard; something or other about the neighbors divorce, the likes of which Louis really had no interest in hearing.  Not that he hadn’t heard it all before anyways.  He was just glad he had tea to settle the remains of the hangover he’d gotten from his previous night’s escapades.

He had just finished his first cup and was pouring everyone another when Anne drew their attention, clearing her throat.  “So, Jay and I have something we want to tell you two…” 

The boys looked to their mothers and Louis immediately felt a touch of unease when Anne glanced back to Jay for affirmation to continue, both of them sitting a bit stiffly and looking somewhat nervous.  When Anne received a head nod she turned back to them with a rigid expression.  “We’ve decided…”  And there was only a moment’s hesitation, in which Louis hoped he’d just been imagining his mother’s odd behavior for the past month, when Anne continued, “That you two are going to get married!”

It seems he hadn’t been imagining at all.  There was silence in the room, cloying and uncomfortable; an unsettled calm before the, what was sure to be, savage storm.

It even took a moment before the words fully processed into Louis’ mind and his mouth slipped on his word, “What?”  And he was so much more composed than he’d thought the situation deserved; though that was probably due to that hangover still prodding at his brain.  He didn’t know what else he would’ve said had he been in a sober state of mind.

Harry was quick to add his own, “You’re kidding right?”

And their mothers exchanged weary glances as they shook their heads, trying to look content with the decision to ruin their children’s lives.  “No, we’re very serious...  You two are going to get married.”

“To each other.”  Anne added.  Unhelpfully.

Louis’ brain seemed to be short circuiting and it definitely wasn’t the alcohol that time.

Anne couldn’t be right; their mothers could _not_ , must not, have been being serious.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”  Louis bit out, only to be shushed with a disdainful ‘Language’ from his mother.  He was undeterred.  “Why in the whole _Goddamn_ world would you think this is a good idea?!”

His mother leveled him with a look that would’ve made him think better of what he was saying, if he was still five; but at the age he was, he knew her look really meant nothing.  “Because, I want you to get married.  I know you have no plans of ever doing so and I want you to.”  She took a pause – just long enough for Louis to gape at her- before continuing, “I think it’ll be good for you!”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically, hoping to not revive his morning headache with the motion but knowing he had to indicate somehow just how _not okay_ he was with their conversation.  “Who says that I don’t have any plans to get married?”

He didn’t.   His multitude of one-night stands could attest to that.

But his mother did not need to know about his nighttime exploits.

She paused, opening and closing her mouth fitfully, “Well… Niall said that you’ve told him, on multiple occasions, that you weren’t ever _ever_ going to get hitched.  And that you think the idea of marriage and true love in this day and age is a joke.”  At that she frowned, and the way she had said it, word for word the way he had when he’d told his friend, made his irritation skyrocket out of the roof; nay, the Goddamn atmosphere.  He was about to lose it.

“When,” _the hell_ , “did you talk to Niall?!”  He was going to kill the Irishman.

“A few weeks ago,” she waved her hand in the air, like it really didn’t matter the details of the situation, “you were running a bit late from class so I made Niall some tea while he waited for you, and we had a chat.”  She took a very calm sip of her own drink.  Which Louis would be having absolutely none of; his mom could not be that composed when she had just unleashed the apocalypse on him.

Louis didn’t do ‘dating’ and he most certainly would not be getting married.

He was about to say as much when he felt Harry shift next to him and he almost jumped out of his skin at the movement.  He’d completely forgotten the other lad was there he’d been so silent.

“Mom, you can’t be serious.”  He sounded reticent, like he was still grasping onto the idea.

Anne, at least, had enough sensitivity to look upset as she nodded her head.  “I am, darling.”

And he looked at her, anger finally flaring in his expression.  “What about Aiden?!”  He interjected, fisting his hands together and trying his best to not crack the teacup he still had cupped in his palms; as if he’d forgotten all about it in his forthcoming meltdown.

“He’s not your boyfriend, dear.”  Anne informed the lad, staying remarkably cool; as if she had known this would be a subject of concern.

“But we were heading there.”  He lipped indignantly, letting out an angered noise and throwing himself into a slouch in his seat.  “I can’t even believe you’re making me do this.”  He mumbled, sulking, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.  “This is so ridiculous!”

“It’s not a punishment, Harry.”  Anne soothed back, but he only rolled his eyes and glared harder at the spot on the ground that was occupying his attention.

Louis took the moment of hesitation to turn back to his mother with a new line of defense, of why she couldn’t possibly do this to him.

“I’m an adult!”  He glanced down at Harry, who seemed anything but at the moment, where he was definitely on the brink of a temper tantrum.  “We’re both adults!”

Jay glanced to Anne again, before breathing out a heavy sigh. “Yes, but you’re both adults that do _not_ have jobs and who live off of _our_ money…  Which means, you have to do what we say… or you’ll have to find a new place to live.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”  Louis dared, hoping his glare was enough to guilt trip his mother into calling the whole thing off.  Or to tell them that it had all just been a huge joke and they weren’t _actually_ being forced into marrying a complete stranger.

“Oh, but we would.”

And Louis’ bit back his retort.  He sort of wanted to cry too –like Harry, who would probably be doing so immediately when he got back to his house- angry tears of course, Louis wasn’t a baby...

His mother cleared her throat, putting on a smile as if that was enough of an apology, “And it won’t be so bad.  We’ll be paying for everything.”  Louis couldn’t wipe the sneer from his face.  “And we’ll even buy you an apartment in the city for after you’re married!  There will be perks.”

He shook his head, chewing on his tongue so he wouldn’t say anything unforgivable to either of the women in the room.

They exchanged an uneasy glance before, “Well, we’ll leave you two here to get used to the idea.  We’ll be in the kitchen if you need us…”  And with that they left both distraught and resentful boys where they sat.

Harry immediately pulled out his phone and began furiously tapping away at its screen; a troubled angle to his brows and a pout to his lips.  Louis stood, in outrage, very noticeably stomping towards the exit; leaving ~~his new fiancé~~ the complete stranger behind.

He slammed the door shut on his way out.

He couldn’t fucking believe it.

***

The pub wasn’t anywhere near busy when Louis marched inside and took a seat at the bar, slamming his money on the counter in a fit of indignation that was still clouding his every thought.  Niall only quirked an eyebrow, from where he was drying glasses behind the counter, before he was tossing the towel onto his shoulder and pouring Louis a drink.  He watched his friend down it in one go.

“Another, Niall.”  Louis called, immediately.

And the blond did as requested letting out a low whistle when Louis downed the second one with the same amount of fervor.  “Did someone die?  I haven’t seen you drink this much in such a short amount of time since ManU won against Chelsea.”

“You could say someone died…”  He turned his glare on Niall, not forgetting what the Irishman had told his mom.

Niall furrowed his eyebrows this time, before letting out a jolly laugh.  “…Should I even ask?”

There was a moment’s pause before, “Wait until Zayn gets here and then I’ll tell you...”  Louis figured sulking and being sour was plenty okay when he was sitting at a bar.  Even if it was way before happy hour and no one else had even started drinking yet.  “And pour me another drink, Niall.  You owe me...”  He wasn’t going to let the Irishman get away with what he’d done.  Even if his friend didn’t know it yet, he’d be buying Louis a _lot_ of drinks from that point forward.

It was a good thing he worked at a pub.

About ten minutes and one drink (Niall had forced him to slow down) later, Louis felt a firm hand on his shoulder, “Ya alright there mate?”  Zayn slipped onto the stool next to him, observant raven eyes noting the empty glasses lining the table in front of them.

Louis snorted, tipping the remnants of his third drink back.  “No.  Quite the opposite actually.”  He was surprised, again, by how calm he sounded.

It was a moment before Zayn was speaking again, “Sorry I’m late.  I had to leave the studio early to get here…”  He really didn’t sound that apologetic.

Louis shot him a look. “Your ‘studio’ is your bedroom,” he deadpanned and Niall let out a buoyant laugh— too happy for what the situation called for— as Zayn smirked and took a sip of the drink Niall passed him.

“So, you gonna to tell us what this mess is about?”  Niall asked, coming around the counter so he could sit himself next to the hunched over, sulking lad- who was very much trying to drown himself in alcohol.

Louis breathed out a disheartened, and yes, very dramatic, sigh before swirling his empty glass and opening his mouth, “Earlier today my mom’s friend, Anne, and her son, this kid named Harry, came over for tea.  And it was fine I guess, until Anne and my mom said they had an ‘announcement’ to make...”  He was speaking relatively slowly, thinking over his sentences; pondering the meaning of life and how he was no longer going to have one.  He took another gulp, this time from Zayn’s stolen pint glass, suppressing a burp from escaping because if he was being honest –which he always was… for the most part- vomit probably would’ve joined it on the way out.  “And they’re forcing us… to get _married_.”  The disdain dripped from his every word, and it sounded like Louis was being forced to eat a bucket full of slimy, wriggling worms.  Or spiders, _live_ spiders.  He was feeling that gross as he took another gulp of the burning amber liquid.

“ _You’re_ getting married?”  Was the first question as Zayn clearly didn’t believe him.  Louis only nodded, scrunching up his lip in a grimace, sad eyes shining with all the woes of the world as he sunk his head to the sleek counter (that looked oh so comfortable at the moment) beneath his crossed arms.

After another long moment, “Congrats, man!”  And Louis immediately rose up to hiss at the blond boy who had spoken.

“It’s not something to congratulate Niall!  This is the end of my life!!!  Nay, the world!  I can’t go on, there’s nothing for me anymore!”  And he could be a bit melodramatic, but that was no fault of his own; he was in the middle of an existential crisis and he needed his friends’ pity.  Not their _blessings_.

“Maybe this is good.  All those one-night stands couldn’t have been healthy for you.”  Niall sympathized.  And Louis had just enough fervor to glare pointedly at him.

“This is all _your_ fault.”  He muttered and it really should’ve had the other lad looking concerned, not smiling with a glint of confusion in his cheery blinking eyes.  “You told my mom about me not wanting to get married.”

He smiled even brighter at that, clapping Louis on the back.  “Oh, sorry mate.  Didn’t know that was private information.”  And he didn’t sound sorry in the least sniffing at Zayn’s drink, as if trying to decipher what type of alcohol it was, though he should’ve known since _he_ had been the one to pour it.

“It wasn’t...”  Louis whined back before turning to Zayn with open arms, flinging himself at the other lad.  “Zayn, hold me.  I’m fragile!”  And Zayn pet at his hair, smacking Niall’s hands away when the blonde tried poking Louis to anger him further.

“So this Harry…”  And Louis picked up his head from where they rested, folded into Zayn’s sharp (and honestly not the most comfortable to be lying on) collar bones.

“Not you too Zayn!”

The other boy just shrugged before continuing.  “When do we get to meet him?”

And that almost made Louis laugh in disdain.  Even when Niall, who had gone to attend some other customers, came back and asked the same thing.

He let out a short, un-humored chuckle.  “Never.  It’s not actually going to happen, so you don’t have to worry about it…  My mom won’t _actually_ force me to do this.  She doesn’t have enough willpower.”  Louis scoffed, though he honestly wasn’t feeling too sure.  He sat up to move back to his own stool and out of Zayn’s lap.

“And if it does?  What then?”  Niall questioned, still smiling that large goofy grin he’d been sporting the whole afternoon.  Louis glared at him.  It was hard enough trying to stay mad at the snitch without the hindrance of the blond’s too sunny disposition and cheery nature surrounding him.

“It _will not_ happen.  Because I will not _let_ it happen.”  He articulated each and every word, growing firmer in his resolve the more he continued.  He would give his mother Hell and a half if she tried to force him to marry Harry.  Louis knew he could be a right twat if he tried – and sometimes if he didn’t – and he would not let such a thing happen.  Marriage was a ridiculous social practice anyways. ‘True love’ didn’t exist.  His mother of all people should’ve known that as she was on her third marriage already.

Louis would not succumb to the state of ‘love’ in the world, or its lack thereof.  He would not.

He took his last sip of the evening.  “And, lads, now that I’ve shared my woes with you, I’m going to top my night off the way I always do.”  He glanced around the pub, which had slowly been filling up with men and women of all ages and sizes.  “With someone to share my bed with me...”  He mumbled, searching for his newest conquest, before he felt a hard smack to the back of his head.

He turned back around, eyebrows raised in annoyance; Niall smacked him _again_ with the menu he was holding, which Louis yanked from the wanker’s hands.  “What the hell, Ni?”

“No more one night stands.”  Ireland uttered, crossing his arms, an impish grin slowly spreading on his face.  “You’re a promised man now, Lou.”

And when he looked to Zayn for backup he was met with a shrug and a, “Well you could always go have sex with Harry.”  And he actually wanted to kill both of his friends at that moment- correction, he wanted to kill both of the men staring expectantly back at him, as they were now no longer allowed to call themselves his friends.  Not at all.

He told them so too, but that only seemed to rile them up further as they clunk glasses (Niall’s an empty one, since he _was_ still working) and drank to Louis’ newborn fiancé status, only to piss him off further of course.  Which, it was working; if the glare and grumbles he was cursing at them were any indication.

Since he couldn’t have any one night stands, what with Niall and Zayn watching him like hawks, he just shuffled into Zayn’s embrace again and drank himself silly.

And if he fell asleep easily that night, his anger and friend’s teasing completely forgotten, no one could blame him.  Because he, Louis Tomlinson, was _not_ getting married.  And he was certainly not getting married to someone his mother had picked out for him, regardless of whether that someone had pretty curls and gorgeous green eyes or not.

And that was final.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I couldn't wait until Friday to post it! :) I hope you all enjoy!

Except it wasn’t final.  Apparently.

Because after a week of absolutely zero (none, nada, zip, nil) conversations regarding Harry or any wedding whatsoever, Louis thought he was out of the woods and out in the clear where he could breathe fresh, free, single-man air.  Until he found himself at a brunch with the very boy himself, and of course, their mothers sitting by their sides like they were children attending their very first play-date.

“These are yours.”  Jay began, handing each of them a thin silver ring, and though the metal was cool to the touch, Louis felt like it was burning where it had been laid upon his open palm.  “Now that you’re engaged, you must always have your rings on you, no exceptions.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to wear them right…?”  Harry mumbled, eyeing the band skeptically like he was _still_ hoping the whole situation wasn’t real.  Louis could relate.

“As long as they’re on you and you don’t lose them, we don’t care.”  Jay muttered, rolling her eyes with an exaggerated sigh.  If she thought they were being difficult already, she certainly had another thing coming.

Harry placed the ring on the table before his mother was clearing her throat and eyeing it, until it was in his pocket instead.  He didn’t even slip it onto his finger to see if it would fit.

But neither did Louis as he grimaced down at the shining gleam before shoving it into his jeans as well, not caring if it were to slip out and onto the polish-smudged floor.  It’d be a good riddance.

“And we’ve already called everyone to let them know about the event.  Grammy is very excited!”  Anne added into the obstinate silence as she took a bite of her strawberry-cream covered bagel.

Harry groaned, covering his face with large hands, of which Louis could easily deny fascinated him.  He did not have a special inclination towards guys with big hands, he didn’t.

And he looked up to see Anne _actually_ seeming concerned by her son’s response.  As if she wasn’t the one causing his distress.

“But you guys have to make sure to tell all of your friends!”  Louis’ own mother added, before Anne could say anything else, rustling in her purse to pull out a kitten-covered calendar.  She skimmed through its miniature pages, stopping on the one she’d clearly been searching for. “The wedding will be… in five months.”  She smiled, trying to look content.  She was met with two very un-content expressions.

“Yay…”  The bitterness in Louis’ tone left a foul taste in his own mouth.

Jay picked up a buttered croissant from one of the numerous brightly decorated platters of pastries in front of them, clearing her throat to try her best at changing the subject, “You should really try some of these treats, they are quite tasty.”

“Not hungry...”  Both Harry and Louis muttered together, Louis’ tone miffed, Harry’s more sullen, before they turned their heads imperceptibly, to glance in each other’s directions.  To size one another up.

There was a quiet, unsettled hum to breakfast as Anne and Jay tried—oh how they tried—filling the table with conversation, including their sons as best as they could though neither would respond with more than a muffled word, even when asked.

Louis was itching to pull out his phone, to text Zayn to come save him.  And it seemed Harry was feeling the exact same way as he immediately pulled out his cell upon excusing himself to the bathroom.

Louis grumbled to himself as the other lad left, jealous that he was the one who was still at the table and not the one escaping.  He glanced around, trying to occupy his attention with anything other than his mother’s banter when his eyes fell upon Harry’s half-empty teacup.  Louis looked over his shoulder towards the bathroom, to see if he could spot curls or dimples or an ostentatiously patterned headscarf (that Louis didn’t want to admit— even internally— looked fantastic on the lad), but he didn’t see any.

He couldn’t spot the other boy at all, so being as bored as he was he reached for the salt shaker and poured salt, lots of it, into Harry’s tea, stirring as he went.  Their mums were too distracted by their attractive waiter’s bulging biceps to notice and chastise him and Louis would’ve been quite interested in Mr. Muscles too, if he wasn’t absolutely positive that Niall would murder him in cold blood for bringing home yet another one night stand.  No matter how attractive they were; or how muscular. 

Being content with the state of Harry’s tea, Louis placed the salt shaker down, sitting back in his chair—to look nonchalant, of course— as he held back a smirk when Harry came meandering back over and a snicker when Harry picked up his drink to take a sip.

Except Harry didn’t make a face at the taste; not even a grimace.  He hadn’t even blinked when he took a large gulp of the pungent liquid.  Louis’ grin plummeted as he stared at the spectacle.   He was sure he’d added so much salt that the drink would’ve tasted horrible.  But Harry hadn’t even seemed to notice it’d been tampered with.

He continued staring at Harry lightly sipping at his tea before the other lad turned to face him, eyebrows knitting together.  “Yes…?”

Louis tried to think of an un-awkward way to word his next sentence.  “Umm, did you, uh, is there something different with your tea, perhaps…?”  He hadn’t been able to.

“No.”  Harry drawled, voice slow as ever- which Louis was quickly learning was the natural pace of his speech- as he glanced into the liquid.  “Should there be?”

“I, uh, no…”  Louis stuttered out and they stared at each other for a few short, really uncomfortable, moments.

“…Do you want to try it?”

With a short nod, the cup was passed over and Louis sniffed at the substance before tipping it into his mouth.  And immediately spluttering at the taste.  It was absolutely repulsive.  He had half a mind of spitting it back into the cup, but he was able to hold himself together.  He _was_ an adult.

But his face must’ve said it all as he glanced back at Harry with an “Uck…” to see the large smirk in the other’s expression.  “My friend Liam likes to think he’s funny and does that to me all the time.  I’ve learned not reacting is the most satisfying response.”

Louis stared back at him, still tasting the briny liquid on his tongue.  “That was fucking horrible!  How did you even drink it without reacting?!”

Harry shrugged with that little grin still present on his lips.  “Dunno.  Guess I’m just used to swallowing bitter substances.”  And the way he mumbled his sentence, under his breath with that deep voice of his teasing and curling around the words, had Louis’ mouth falling open.  In much the same way as he supposed Harry liked his.

The clearing of his mom’s throat made him turn to her; though he had to mentally remind himself to shut his jaw.  “So Anne and I signed you boys—”

“Men.”  Louis reminded her as she rolled her eyes, though he was still having a hard time processing what Harry had just told him.

“ _Boys_ up for marriage preparation classes.”

There was a collection of whining and moaning, and not the good kind, between the two of them.  And Louis was reminded again, as if he could’ve _forgotten_ in such a short span of time, that Harry had just told him he was used to _swallowing_ bitter substances.  Why would he tell him that!?  Louis was hardly paying attention to their mothers now.

“There are four lessons!  And they’re bound to be splendid.  I’m sure you’ll really enjoy them!”  Anne added, mostly speaking the last bit to her son.  Louis wouldn’t have been surprised if Harry was the type of person to actually really enjoy those kinds of stupidly sentimental ‘let’s bond’ activities.  Of course, it seemed, he also enjoyed the not so stupidly sentimental activities too…  God, Louis was having an internal meltdown.  Had that been a come on?!  Was Harry insinuating something, or had he just wanted to inform Louis what he was getting himself into?!  There were so many questions and not enough answers.  And why was he still thinking about it; his mother was talking for goodness sake.  “And one is in two weeks’.”  Jay added on, smiling happily.

Louis shook his head to right his mind and get back into the conversation.  His attention was called upon as his mother continued speaking to the other boy. “Louis can pick you up and drive you both there, Harry.”

It took him a few minutes to wrap his mind around what they were discussing.  Marriage preparation classes, right…  He frowned again, knowing he wouldn’t have minded having to drive Harry around, he really wouldn’t have, if their destination wasn’t to some lecture where they’d be forced to listen to speakers talk about ‘loving one another’ and ‘how soul mates _are_ real’ and other choice bullshit.

As if having to marry each other wasn’t bad enough in the first place, now they had to attend classes too.He grumbled again, this time with a bit more exasperation and unsettled angst in his tone.  At least he was no longer thinking about Harry on his knees.

“Oh hush you.  They’ll be feeding you a really nice meal, and the classes are already paid for.  You just have to make sure you show up, that’s it.”  Louis didn’t have a response to that.  He was really running out of ways to express his dislike for everything his parents, or more specifically his mom, was making him do.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t keep trying though.  “So I don’t actually have to pay attention then?  Oh good.”

His mother didn’t even grace his response with an eye roll this time, Anne ignoring him as well, to motion to her own son.  “Harry how about you give Louis your number?  So he can text or call you when he’s ready to pick you up?”  She nodded to his scowling, motionless form, to encourage in his silence, to present his phone.  He begrudgingly did as requested and when he handed it over, Louis noticed his wallpaper photo was of him and a pretty blonde girl sitting atop his lap.  He wondered if that must’ve been a sister, as they looked so similar, and he reminded himself, yet again, that he knew almost nothing about this boy he was supposedly engaged to.  Except that he was used to having certain tastes in his mouth.

And now it was on the forefront of his mind _again_.  Louis tried his best to shove the thought back into the shadows as he put his number in Harry’s cell knowing that arguing against doing so would be a lost battle. 

It didn’t mean he was giving up on the war though; he had many strategies yet to use.  He was just wise enough to know when to admit defeat.  And giving Harry his number was one of those very times.

They continued nibbling away in almost silence, Anne and Jay still trying their best to converse between the four of them.  Their mothers really needed to learn when to drop their guns and raise the white flag themselves though, because their children were not going to make it easy on them.

Anne cleared her throat after taking another sip of coffee.  “So tomorrow we were thinking we could go and check out some flats for you two.”  She shifted the handle of her cup, fiddling with the saucer it was on.  “Figure out where you’ll be living and all after the wedding is over.  Don’t forget, we’ll be paying!”  She tried to make it seem like that was something they would be happy about.

If they didn’t have to get married, then they’d be happy.

***

The next day arrived sooner than Louis had hoped it would.  But he was renewed, revived; he’d brought his battle plans and war paint with him.  He was just hoping Harry was willing to have his back on the field.

The morning started with meeting the Style’s at their real estate agent’s office and then driving to the first apartment they’d be looking at.  It was on the top floor of a fancy building and at a good spot in town; near enough to Louis’ future office that he could probably walk on day’s that were nice and close enough to Harry’s school that he wouldn’t need to drive very far at all to get to class.  It was nicely adorned too and came with all of the amenities expected of such an expensive place.

Of course Louis couldn’t have that.  Their parents might have been looking for a flat, but Louis was not.  “Not big enough.”  He hummed, the first moment they stepped into the apartment.  His mother glowered at him, the real estate agent looking mildly confused by his response.  Jay told the woman to ignore him and show them around.

But Louis made sure to stay by her side the entire time, to inform her of all the problems he found, knowing that the best way to get _his_ way was to make his mom uncomfortable.  “That table looks like it’s going to hurt Harry’s back…  Definitely a no to this place.”

She gave him a look, eyeing said table, “Hurt his back?”

“Yah, when we have sex on the table, it’ll probably hurt his back.”  Making his mom uncomfortable would most definitely cut their trip short.  It had always worked in the past, Louis was sure it would work then too.  “We’re planning on christening every surface of our new apartment, so we have to get an appropriate one.”

Jay gawked, smacking him on the arm as Harry’s cheeks heated up immediately when he heard the words come out of Louis’ mouth.

“What about these beautiful tapestries?  Aren’t they just gorgeous?”  And Jay may have been talking to Anne, but Louis responded anyways.

“Like I said.  Not a good flat.  There isn’t enough wall space to push Harry up against; you know when I pleasure him.”  So it may have been a bit awkward saying that to his mom but… unreasonable situations required unreasonable solutions.  He made sure Anne wasn’t near enough to hear so she wouldn’t have to listen to him say such things about her son, but his own mother was a different story.

Jay pulled Louis to the side to chastise him, but there was no stopping then; not when he could see the reaction he was getting.

Anne’s voice could be heard from the other room.  “Isn’t this room just so adorable, Harry?”

And it was a moment before Louis could hear him respond. “Umm, it’s actually, a bit small… Louis and I won’t have enough room to set up the video camera… to film our sexual adventures.”  And Louis tried to stifle his laughter behind the squeak of displeasure he could hear Anne let out.

And when he made his way to the bedroom he could see it was actually quite large, but smirked at Harry, and his unimpressed grin, anyways.

“Well, shall we move onto the next flat, then?”  He asked, turning up his nose.  “Since this one’s such a dud...”  He waited for his mother to heave a burdened sigh, before breaking out into a larger smile and leading the procession out.

And with two more flats down and still no ‘Yes’ from the newly-engaged, Anne and Jay were not looking very content.  Of course Louis was actually rather enjoying himself then, slurring out sexual innuendo after sexual innuendo.  Enjoying his mother’s dissatisfaction with it even more.

Until, she had to ruin his ‘good-natured’ fun, “Louis Tomlinson, if you do not stop _right now,_ you’ll give me no other choice but to start talking about your father’s and my sex life.”  He pulled a face as she continued, “And you definitely do not want to hear about that.”

“Definitely, definitely do not.”  He muttered in reply, shivering at just the mention of it.  He passed by Anne on his way to inspect the carpet of the fourth apartment they were in, deciding it’d probably be in his best interests to tone it down from that point on; the risk of having to hear about his parents doing gross things together being just too great.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still be annoying. “Not shaggy enough.”  He called after he finished rubbing his face over the floor- and sniffing for good measure.  His mother ignored him and in retaliation he got up in search of other things to complain about.

Harry was already in the kitchen when he entered, inspecting a few polished black appliances.  “I really like the kitchen…”  He murmured, and it might not have been intentional for Louis’ ears to hear, but he had; so he turned to the curly lad from where he’d been wandering around the island counter.  And after a moment, he asked, “Do you like to cook?”

He didn’t really know why he was asking as it didn’t really matter.  But their parents weren’t in the room, so he figured he might as well.  Just because he didn’t want to marry Harry, didn’t mean he wasn’t intrigued by the odd boy with the dimpled cheeks and pretty eyes.

Harry turned towards him then, flashing a small, timid smile.  “Yah… I like baking more, but it’s fun.”  He paused a moment, considering, before exhaling out a slow, “Do you?”

Louis shrugged, pulling open the fridge to do something with his hands, and to distract his eyes from watching the other lad stare at him.  “Not really.  I’m sort of shit at it, to be honest…  I burn everything.”  Okay he wasn’t actually being honest; he’d never really _tried_ making anything before, due to the Tomlinson household having a cooking staff.  But the one time his mom had told him to put the lasagna in the oven, when their staff was on break, he’d done so.  And because she hadn’t _told_ him to keep watching it, he’d left.  So really, it wasn’t his fault it had burnt to a crisp.

Based off of his one attempt at cooking, he was shit.

There were a few long minutes of silence before Harry spoke again, “How old are you?”  And Louis banged his head on the top shelf of the freezer after assuming, from a lack of noise following his response, that Harry had left.  He made sure to tally another point in his mind under reasons for why that apartment was not a place he wanted to live.

He rubbed at the back of his scalp, ignoring Harry’s giggle of satisfaction.  Because it was too cute to be natural and Louis wasn’t okay being exposed to such atypical behaviors.  “Uh, twenty-six.”   He turned around to see Harry trying to hide his grin, toeing at the tiled floor.  “You?”

“Twenty-four.”  He responded easily.  Louis lifted his brows, unsure how to respond, not having expected Harry to be so young (though he hadn’t really thought about it)… the boyish smirk Harry had on at the moment, told Louis he should’ve anticipated it.  He neared the lad, sidling up next to where he was leaning on the counter.

“So, Harry, we have a real situation on our hands…”  Louis managed, leaning his elbows on top of the counter in a slump.

“I’d say…”  Harry mumbled back, their voices quieting the slightest, as if they were conspiring together.  Which technically they were, so who was Louis to stop them?

He gave an impish grin.  “I think we can both agree we don’t want this whole marriage thing to go down right?”

Harry nodded. “Correct again, Louis.”  And wow, Louis really enjoyed hearing his name come from the other boy’s mouth.  But that was an unimportant thought at the moment…  He stood up straight, propping his hands on his waist, “So, how about we work together to make sure that doesn’t happen?” 

Though they had both wordlessly agreed to bother their parents with sexual innuendos earlier that day, they hadn’t _officially_ decided to work together to take down their mothers.  There was nothing wrong with striking up a deal with his fellow victim.

It was a few seconds of Harry observing him before he began to grin as well, “I think that’s a lovely idea, Mr. Tomlinson...  We can be partners in crime.”  And it seemed the younger lad was on the exact same page as Louis was.

He smiled even larger, extending his hand towards the curly-haired boy, waiting patiently for it to be engulfed with the other’s larger one, which, again, he’d like to repeat, he did not find fascinating.  Because he did not have a thing for big hands…  He just often found them and their ability to wrap around certain tubular shaped… objects, quite intriguing.  “Good, let’s shake on it.”

But instead of his hand, Harry smiled coyly, extending his smallest finger instead, “Pinky promise.”

Louis rolled his eyes, definitely not slightly endeared and fascinated by Harry’s childishness as he reciprocated and locked pinkies with the younger.  He was not staring at Harry’s hands.  But he did notice that there was a lack of jewelry on them.  He pulled away, with an accusatory, “Hey, where’s your ring?”  He held up his own finger to show the incriminating item.  “This is so not fair, my mom made me wear mine!”

Harry just smirked back at him, observing his own long (honestly the perfect length for particularly enjoyable activities) fingers.  “Well, where is it?”  Louis asked again, huffily.

The lad gave him an exasperated sigh, “Don’t get too grumpy, it’s right here…”  He grabbed at a thin silver chain that was hanging around his neck, pulling it up to display the band dangling from it.  He dropped it again, giving Louis a very legitimate excuse to check out the barely buttoned up, like at all, shirt he was wearing, and how the ring just barely fell to where it gaped open to reveal pale skin and black inking.

“Ah, I see…”  Louis mused, finally returning Harry’s gaze, after a few too many, probably, inappropriate moments staring at Harry’s chest.  “Well I guess that’s fine then…”  He responded casually.

When he glanced down, he could see Harry grinning at him.  Before the younger lad was sighing and slumping back against the opposite counter behind them.  “I’m tired of this...”  He mumbled, crossing his arms to indicate as such.

Louis shifted, noticing his own legs were feeling a bit like the jelly he’d had on his toast that morning.  He was also tired of walking around looking at all of their potential apartments; there was only so much a lazy, out of shape, twenty-six year old could take.  “Me too…” he mumbled after a moment.  “Do you want to just… give in?”

Harry nodded and Louis shrugged, continuing, “Alright, then in ten minutes, we’ll just tell them we’ll take this one…”  He paused a beat, “Until then, let’s split back up.”

The younger man nodded again, giving him a small smile as he turned to walk out, lifting his hand— _God_ his hands— to wave back at him.  “Bye, Lou.”

Louis shook himself out of his clearly sexually frustrated state.  If all it took was Harry’s hands, a few looks, and a couple suggestive words from _the day before_ to get Louis riled up, he knew he really needed to get laid.

He tiredly counted down the minutes until they would be done.

And when it was exactly ten minutes later, he found their mothers, his ‘fiancé’, and the realtor in the master bedroom; which was convenient for him as he jumped onto the bed, lazing out, “Yah, okay, we’ll take this one,” he stated, spreading his arms on the heavenly soft mattress.

Jay and Anne watched his movements, not quite realizing he was giving in, until Jay’s eyes bulged and she shrilled, “This is the most expensive one we’ve looked at yet!”

He in turn, sighed, sitting up on his elbows to give her an apathetic expression.  “You said you were paying no matter what…”  He heaved a frustrated breath next, rolling his head back onto his shoulders.  “I guess if you can’t hold up your end of the bargain, Harry and I don’t have to uphold ours.”  Shaking his head, with a disappointed looking frown, he ignored his mother’s glare.  “It’s alright Mom; I’ll let you off the hook.” 

He turned to find Harry fluffing up a pillow at the head of the bed and he heaved another sigh.  “Harry, sad news…  It looks like we aren’t getting married after all. Our mothers don’t want to pay for our apartment…”

The younger lad made a ‘disappointed’ expression, though his tone indicated much the opposite, “Dang… That’s too bad…”

And both of their mothers turned to exchange a few whispered words with each other before the two were extending their white flag.  “Fine.   We’ll take it.”  Jay told the leaser and Louis internally moaned in agony, even though he was feeling pretty confident that he and Harry had won their battle that day.  He still, loudly and very uncheerful exclaimed, “Great,” though. 

And he may have enjoyed hearing Harry repeat the sentiment a minute after himself.  But that wasn’t because he thought Harry’s voice was nice to listen to, or anything, but because he liked that he wasn’t going to be facing the torment of their arranged marriage alone.  They would be partners in crime, indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

Being partners in crime evidently meant spending their Friday evening together going to their very first marriage preparation course, and Louis was _beyond_ excited for it.  If he wasn’t doing it, in fact, he would’ve spent his night flirting and dancing at the nearest club and bar, working out his sexual frustrations.  But that, unfortunately, wasn’t an option and he was just _so_ overjoyed to be spending his Friday night at a lecture with happily engaged couples surrounding him.  Just unbelievably delighted with the thought.

It hadn’t even been a full week since Louis had last seen his newly betrothed as they had been forced, yet again, the previous Monday, to go see their Wedding Planner and, considerate sons as they were, they made sure the colors for their wedding would be Anne’s least favorite, an ugly yellow color Harry said was ‘Dijon’, and his own mother’s least favorite, red orange.  The two were guaranteed to look great together, and Harry and Louis were quite mollified to know their mothers would absolutely hate it.

The two had also been able to choose the catering for their reception and they made sure to pick the greasiest and grossest Mexican place they could for the occasion.  It was almost a good thing their mothers weren’t there with them or the two boys wouldn’t have been able to get away with half of the things they’d decided on.  But their wedding planner was sure to call and inform them though, as that was part of their mom’s requirement for letting them go on their own.  Louis hoped they would regret their decision enough to revoke it.

Louis begrudgingly pulled his phone out of his pocket to text Harry, to tell the younger lad he was already outside his house, waiting for him.

He tugged at his loose red shirt and the jacket that covered it, having been made to dress relatively nicely for the event, while he waited.  And it seemed that Harry had been given the same requirements as Louis did, as the younger man slid into the passenger’s seat with a heart covered blue shirt snuggly fitting to his body and tight black pants leaving, really, nothing to the imagination.  They exchanged quick hellos before Louis was pulling out of the Style’s driveway and onto the road.

“No headscarf today?”  Louis commented, noting the free springing curls that were swept over Harry’s forehead.  He’d never seen the boy without one on, as all four of the times they’d met before he’d been sporting another brightly colored head accessory, but Louis was quick to note that the younger lad looked phenomenal either way; he was envious.

Harry gave him a sheepish grin, running a palm through said curls.  “I didn’t have one that matched…”

There were a few beats of silence as Louis pondered how best to reply.  He decided to just go with his first thought, “Well you look nice anyways…” hoping that that was something that was okay to say to his acquaintance turned partner in crime.

Harry smiled back at him with a soft ‘thank you’ and a quick question on whether he could peruse Louis’ music selection.  When Louis gave him a nod, he began flicking through the various CDs stashed in his dashboard.  “You have Sam Smith…?  And the 1975?!” Harry sounded baffled and quite pleased with the assortment of music he’d found.

Louis let out a short chuckle, “Don’t sound so surprised, love.”  And wow, that had just come out without him meaning it to.  Louis usually only reserved pet names for his close associates, not… acquaintances he was driving places…

Harry didn’t seem to mind though, as he continued picking through the various albums.  And when he was done nodding approvingly at Louis’ music choices, he turned to face the older lad.  After a few long moments, he spoke, “So, are you working then?  At your family’s business?”  He genuinely sounded interested in learning more about Louis’ life; which was mildly unnerving, as he continued staring at Louis’ profile.  Louis was just glad he didn’t have to face the younger man back, making sure to drive extra carefully.

“Uh, actually I’m still in school.”

When Harry lifted a brow, Louis decided to continue talking instead of waiting for the lad to ask another question.  “I’m in my last year now…  I traveled around for four years before deciding to go to college which is why I’m so old.”

Harry nodded to his words, curls flopping around and making him look a little bit younger, and a lot bit cuter.  Louis was so not endeared.  “That’s really cool.  I’m in school too.  Law school though… and not in my last year.”

“Oh, we’ve got a smart one here don’t we?”  Louis teased enjoying Harry’s blush, eye roll, and indignant, “No.”

“You’re in law school, love,” And so, maybe he did enjoy calling the younger lad by the pet name; it didn’t mean anything, “can’t really deny your intelligence _too_ much.”

Harry just shrugged, before changing the subject.  Which Louis easily allowed, he didn’t much enjoy talking about school anyways.  Though he did find himself wanting to know why Harry chose law and which college he was attending, and whether he liked the classes he was in.  And possibly where he wanted to work when he graduated.  But that was only because Louis was a curious, nosy bastard.

They were all conversation topics for a later date though as he waited for Harry to speak up from where he had his mouth puckered in thought.

“So where did you go...  When you traveled around?”  The younger man immediately gained a dreamy look in his eyes, as if waiting to be recounted with tale after fantastical tale from Louis’ trip.  Which was also a conversation for another day; Louis had way too many stories to just breeze over them.

“I’ll tell you in more detail some other time.”  He must’ve been right about Harry wanting to hear his stories because the younger lad beamed at him as he continued, “But I just traveled around Europe a bit, France, Italy, Germany.  I visited almost all of the American States…  Like the Grand Tour, except more modern.”

Harry seemed too fascinated as he nodded at each of Louis’ words.  “I’ve always wanted to visit Italy.”  He mumbled in response.

Louis grinned back, “Well, Harold, maybe we can have our honeymoon there.  The parents are paying so we can go, really, anywhere you want to go.”  They both knew they wouldn’t actually be having a ‘honeymoon’, as they were going to do everything in their power to stop the madness of their engagement _before_ actually getting married, but Harry seemed to understand Louis’ teasing as he responded back in accord.

“That does sound nice.  Maybe we should just make it a yearlong honeymoon and travel to all the places you haven’t been to yet.  I’m sure our moms would love spending all the money for that…”

Louis let out a laugh, “I like the way you think.”

And a moment later he mumbled, “Intelligent indeed…” making Harry try to hide a small grin behind his palm as he relaxed back into the passenger’s seat, looking out his side door’s window.

Louis followed suit, checking the street name one last time before turning down the next road, conveniently finding a parking spot not too far from where they needed to be.  After pulling his keys out of the ignition, Louis turned to the younger lad, muttering unhappily, “Seems like we’re here…”

And Harry nodded, sighing forlornly before slipping his seatbelt off and getting out.  Louis was quick to meet him on the sidewalk.

They walked past numerous quaint, little artsy shops, that Louis could tell Harry would’ve spent hours visiting if they weren’t already running late, as he looked quite delighted by them as they made their way mildly hurriedly—the two didn’t care _too_ much—to the building their meeting was being held at.

It seemed they weren’t the only ones who were running late though as they quickly signed in at the entrance behind a few other couples before making their way into a theatre like room with a small stage at the front.  Instead of chairs lining the floor though, there were circular tables spaced out evenly around the area.  They searched for their assigned table, finding a piece of paper atop it reading ‘The Tomlinson’s’.

So it seemed Harry was going to be taking his last name.

Except, Louis paused where he was standing, no he wouldn’t be.  Because they _weren’t_ getting married.

He sat down across from Harry, flicking the paper with his finger until it fell towards the ground.  He would pick it up later, he wasn’t a litterer…  But it didn’t seem he’d have to because Harry was reaching down for it in his stead, gently placing it face down back on their table.

They still had a bit of time before the lecture portion of their night officially started and during their wait they were served a nice meal, like his mom had promised.  It even included _alcohol_ which was already helping to make Louis’ night a million times better.  He made sure to drink all the free wine he could get his hands on.

And when the lecturers made their way to the stage, to begin, Louis was already feeling slightly buzzed and Harry was flushed tipsy.  And because of this they easily found themselves giggling to each other and making rude remarks throughout the evening as the speakers droned on.  Louis could admit after a little bit of time that he was sort of, maybe, enjoying himself.  At least, with Harry there, things were less boring than they could’ve been if he were alone.

And with the topic of their class being ‘Love and Arguing’, the lecture of the night was everything Louis had thought it would be... puke-worthy; especially as couples in the audience recounted how they fell in love with one another and how they had found ‘the perfect one’ for them.

It was absolutely nauseating.

There was a practice portion, though, which Louis thought was mildly entertaining as each pair was instructed to argue with one another about something they would most likely dispute upon when they were actually married.  They then had to learn how to ‘work through their problems effectively’.

Harry and Louis ended up disagreeing about whether they thought tea tasted better with sugar or with milk (with milk obviously).  And Louis was pretty sure they weren’t quite doing the activity correctly.  But, Harry was laughing, so he was content.

He briefly wondered what they’d be doing for their future classes, the topics of which being ‘Sexual Loving’ and ‘Starting a Family’.  He wouldn’t find out for a while though as there was, thankfully, only one meeting held a month and the following lecture was supposed to have a special guest discussing their own love story and the ‘challenges they faced in marriage’.  It was bound to be sickening as Louis was still a firm believer in love being a figment of one’s imagination.

He was pretty sure Harry had the exact opposite opinion though by the way his expression lit up during the lecture when the other couples talked about loving each other and wanting to live happily ever after.  Louis grew increasingly more positive in that assumption when Harry sighed dreamily after a certain pair had ended their little speech.

Louis figured he and Harry could’ve probably argued about love if they really wanted practice on successfully working through a disagreement.

It wasn’t long after that that the meeting ended though, and Louis, who was full of food and wine, and the others, who were full of shit (as they continued chattering on about the sanctity of marriage) made their way towards the exit.  He and Harry stood in line behind some of the other couples waiting to sign out and being as idle-minded as Louis was, he propositioned Harry into playfully quarreling with him again, this time about whether the chicken or the side of mac and cheese they had had for dinner was better.

Louis let Harry win in the end as they neared the front of the group and the two watched the couple in front of them sign out before a flash piqued Louis’ attention and he was immediately searching for the source of it.  As Harry signed them out, Louis’ eyes fell on a crappy disposable camera that one of the lecturers was holding.

He squinted at it, warily, before moving towards the door with Harry by his side.  They were stopped by the man with the camera before they could leave.  “Oh, you can’t go yet!  We have to get a picture for your portfolio.”  The speaker held up the cheap disposable in their direction and Harry and Louis both grimaced at it-- in attempts at smiling.  Louis hadn’t signed up for _pictures_.  Granted, he hadn’t signed up for any of it, but…

“Give each other a kiss!”  The man all too cheerfully exclaimed.

But when they showed no signs of movement, he lowered the camera.  “Everyone else has...”  He gave them a worn-out look, as if all of his prior excitement had merely been a ruse.  “Plus you can’t leave until you do!” he repeated; chipper again, similar to most of the other building’s inhabitants.

Louis gave Harry a look before a devilish grin crept onto his lips, the previous blank expression disappearing behind a mask of amusement.  “You don’t have to tell me twice to kiss my gorgeous husband…”  He began, before grabbing Harry’s waist and pulling the younger man towards him, stopping right before their bodies were flush.  “The man wants a show, honey…  I say we give him one.”

And the smile on Harry’s beautiful mouth began to mimic Louis’ own, his nose crinkling up in amusement as he responded, “Of course, sweetie dearest.”  And it was Harry who was the one to crash their lips together in a grotesquely graphic display of PDA.  God, they were drunk.

Louis immediately grinned into the kiss, grabbing Harry’s thighs and hoisting the younger up to wrap those obscenely long legs around his waist.  He was much, _much_ heavier than Louis had originally anticipated…  The younger man couldn’t stop the startled breath that left his lips though, and Louis took the moment of separation, as he stumbled towards the door, to yell, “Jesus, I love you so much.  My perfect, sexy hubby.”  And Harry kissed him even more fervently, making loudly inappropriate noises as Louis shoved the door open with the back of his hand, which was simultaneously securing Harry to his body, exiting the building with gusto.

The cool brush of wind passed over their heated faces as they separated their spit slicked mouths and untangled their limbs, thankfully before Louis dropped the taller lad.  And the two boys stared at each other in those few moments of breathlessness before Harry was smiling a lopsided grin and they were both bursting into laughter, tripping over one another as they attempted to make it to Louis’ car; fits of giggles holding them back.

“Did you—” Louis took a heavy breath, clutching at his stomach as he let out another string of laughter.  “Did you see his face?”

Harry stood up as straight as he could, trying to cover his mouth with a frown, to no avail, in hopes of stopping his uncontrollable smile.  “God, yes!  I don’t even think he got a picture.”  He let out a bright laugh that Louis couldn’t help but think was absolutely stunning where it echoed through the empty streets, bouncing off the windows that lined the shops around them.

Louis breathed out another chuckle, recalling the expressions of disbelief and disgust that the surrounding couples’ had given them on their way out the door.  He was so giddy he almost didn’t realize that that was technically the first kiss him and Harry had shared; not that he had ever expected to kiss his fiancé in the first place.  It had been so surreal though, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d imagined the whole thing.

But the tingling of residual mirth in his stomach and the fresh grin on his mouth informed him that, in fact, he had not imagined it.

It was anything but a big deal though.  Louis could kiss his ‘husband-to-be’.  Even if they were planning on ending their relationship before they actually had to get married.  He could still kiss him.

Louis was more surprised though, by the fact that Harry had gone along with his plan in the first place.  Without any warning needed.  It was sort of like they had just clicked, as ridiculous as that sounded.  And it had been more fun than Louis had thought going to a marriage preparation class could’ve been.

When they made it back to his car and he looked over to Harry, to catch those emerald eyes alight with glee, he couldn’t hold back his equally bright smile.  He felt so alive.  Being the center of attention always exhilarated him.  Making out with a pretty boy certainly hadn’t hurt.


	4. Chapter 4

“So I guess he’s sort of pretty…”  Louis considered reluctantly.  That was if ‘sort of’ was a steep under-exaggeration.  He squinted his eyes, pausing awkwardly in between his words.  “Umm, he’s got curly hair and green eyes…”

Zayn and Niall nodded their heads, watching him with fascination.  Well, at most Niall looked enthralled with what was being said, as he’d been the one to ask Louis to talk about his fiancé in the first place.  Which wasn’t awkward at all…

“Yah…” he finished eloquently.

Niall blinked brightly back at him— from where he sat hunched across the table— with wide, sunny eyes, like he was listening to the greatest story Louis had ever told him.  “What’s his personality like?!”  The Irishman took a quick swig of his pint glass before putting it back down to lean forward, to really use those active listening skills he had.

Louis didn’t really know what to say.  So he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head.  “Nice I guess.  Funny maybe...  He’s okay…”  And again ‘okay’ would not have been the word Louis would have used if he was talking to himself.  But he had an image to keep up; which meant he could not tell his friends that he thought Harry was really pretty and that his humor was silly, and that he was kind and really quite sweet.  Because that would have been weird, and he would have never heard the end of it from either of the two boys staring back at him.  They looked like they knew he was lying though, or at least withholding most of the truth.  The two of them knew him much too well.  He needed to hang out with more people immediately.

Niall, fortunately, didn’t call him out on his poor responses, instead sitting up straight to pipe out an, “I want to meet him!”  And Zayn gave his head nod of agreement as Niall continued, reaching for Louis’ phone.  “Do you have his number, call him Lou and invite him over!”

Louis was quick to snatch the mobile from Niall’s greedy hands.  “Hell no, Niall.”  He pointed a finger and a distrustful glare at the blond. “Back away heathen. It’s not happening…  Plus I don’t see why I need to introduce you guys if Harry and I aren’t actually getting married.  It just seems so… _official_.”

Niall took another swig from his glass before continuing to try to persuade him, though Louis would hardly call it that.  “Come on, Zayn and I want to meet him!”  He looked to the other lad for backup.  “Right, Zayn?”

“Yah, that’d be cool.”  And Zayn was supposed to be on Louis’ side.

Louis huffed at him, still hugging his phone close to his chest.  “Well the answer is no.  Sorry.”  Louis wasn’t sorry.  “Now back to what we were discussing before…” 

He seemed to have effectively changed the topic back to Niall’s new guitar and Zayn’s upcoming art exhibit, for the moment.  But his mind didn’t seem to have gotten the memo as it wandered back to thoughts of his and Harry’s misadventure two weeks before at their marriage preparation class and the week before that too when they’d been looking for apartments.

He wondered if their behavior was working on getting their moms to give in and give up on the marriage; he certainly hoped it was.

Louis could hear Niall and Zayn chattering about, but he wasn’t really paying attention, tracking the movements of the restaurants passerby’s through the large front window instead, sipping lightly at his drink.

It wasn’t until he noticed those pretty brunet curls pushed behind a lavish purple headscarf that he found himself gaping. “Oh my God, there he is…”  Louis ducked his head, unsure how to proceed.  There was no way Harry would have been able to see him from where he was, but he quickly considered continuing to hide anyways.

“Who…?  Wait, what?!  Where?!”  Once Niall caught on to what Louis’ exclamation was about, or more specifically who, he perked up like a meerkat out of his hole, looking left and right for the boy himself.  It seemed Zayn had caught sight of Harry though, only knowing what he looked like due to Louis’ early description as he unhelpfully pointed him out to the Irishman.

“The curly haired fellow and the grinning guy over there…?  They just went into the convenience store across the street.”  He followed their movements with his gaze as Louis shifted awkwardly in his seat, still unsure whether he should duck down or not.  “You’ve got good eyes.” He mused as Niall bounced up and out of his chair, a manic grin on his face.

“Be right back, Zaynie-poo, Lou-bear!”  He chirped, rushing out of the darkened restaurant.

“Where are you going?!”  Louis called after him, immediately cursing himself and his choice to have such an atrociously cheerful, annoying Irish friend.  He groaned smacking his head against Zayn’s hard shoulder, “God, tell me he is not doing what I think he’s doing…”

Zayn responded back, insensitive to Louis’ plight.  “Sorry, mate, no can do.”

Louis really needed to get better friends.

He watched the blond head cross the street before bounding into the store that was there, disappearing from his view.  Louis let out a strangled whine, hoping that Niall wouldn’t embarrass him, or better yet, wouldn’t be able to find Harry and the lad that was with him in the store.  He really, _really_ hoped.

But when he saw that bobbing blond head again, followed warily by that lovely set of curls and a nicely styled fohawk, he realized hoping hadn’t been enough.  “I hate him.  I literally hate him so much.”  He shut his eyes, if only to put off the inevitable.  Out of sight out of mind he presumed.

Zayn breathed out a deep chuckle, flicking at Louis’ nose and pushing at his pouting lip. “No you don’t.”

“I do.”  Louis bit back, before that cheery Irish laugh destroyed his illusion of safety.  “Louis!  I brought your fiancé!  He’s a real cool lad.”  Louis blinked his eyes open only to glare them at Niall’s grinning face.

“Yah, uh, he is…”  He turned to see Harry standing awkwardly at the edge of the table with the other guy standing a bit behind him.  He gave a small, clearly ‘I’m uncomfortable’ smile, which Louis reluctantly returned.  It was just weird, having Harry there with his friends.  He cleared his throat, shifting up and off of Zayn.  “Uh, Harry, this is my best mate Zayn, and,” he glanced at the blond, “well, I’m sure you’ve already been introduced to Niall.”

“Yah, uh nice to meet you…”  He responded softly, sweetly— giving an equally pleasant smile towards Zayn.  He pulled his friend up closer to his side, the guy giving a fidgety wave, smile combination.  “This is Liam.”

Louis was pretty sure things couldn’t get any more uncomfortable.

And of course Niall had to make it worse by suggesting—forcing—Harry and Liam to join them.

At first it was beyond weird, naturally it was going to be.  But upon getting a few drinks into the newcomers and Zayn relaxing Louis enough (by repeatedly jabbing him in the side) that he was no longer acting like a stiff awkward buffoon, things went relatively well.

Liam made sure to ask Louis all about himself, as if to approve of his friends future marital decision—not that they’d had a choice— and Zayn and Niall did much the same to Harry.  The younger lad didn’t seem to mind at all though as he cheerily and amicably responded back.  He was too perfect.

And Niall eventually had them all laughing and chatting with each other like they were long-lost friends, and _hadn’t_ just met a few hours before.  It was a bit weird how he could always do that, and Louis was affirmed again in his belief that Niall was the _worst_ friend ever; because Louis, Niall, and Zayn weren’t supposed to be getting along with Harry and Liam.  That hadn’t been part of the plan.

It was while the Irishman was telling the other four a story about the time he’d ‘accidentally’ shoved Louis into his neighbors pool during a party that Louis, who had been nonchalantly watching Harry’s expression the whole time, just to see him laugh, noticed the younger lad’s phone light up with a message.

Harry, grinning at Niall’s tale, looked over at it for a moment before subtly nudging Liam’s shoulder with his own.  “Hey, Grimmy’s at a bar at the end of the street.  We should go say hey…” he spoke quietly, not wanting to interrupt as Niall started on another fond memory,  that time of when he’d dared Louis to run around his neighborhood naked.  Which was a very embarrassing moment he did not need to relive.  Louis frowned at the blond when he noted that Niall was purposefully telling the most humiliating stories about him.  He was glad Harry wasn’t listening anyways.

“Tell him to come here.”  Liam responded back just as hushed, smiling giddily and taking another even sip of his beverage.  Harry’s lips pursed in a frown, tapping the table lightly with his fingers as he watched their movements, “Uh, I think he’s with Aiden…”  And the name clicked in Louis’ mind as he remembered Harry mentioning dating an Aiden to his mom, when their arrangement had first been decided upon.  He could see why Harry was a bit fidgety and unsure about the idea.

There was only a moment of silence before Liam spoke up again, unintentionally louder than before, enough to catch both Zayn and Niall’s attention from where they’d been sniggering together, “You still haven’t told him yet?”

It didn’t escape Louis’ notice when Harry glanced at him from the corner of his eye, before giving a small shake of his head, mumbling, “Well it’s not going to happen, Liam, so there’s really nothing to tell.”

Liam’s smile was one of those things that immediately made one feel their anger dissipate and a sudden happiness take over, but it didn’t seem to be having that effect on Harry at the moment, as he squinted in discontent further at the boy’s suggestion, “Well then it shouldn’t be a problem!  Just tell them to come over!”

And the curve of Harry’s lips, bowing into a tempestuous pout was possibly the most adorably charming thing Louis had ever seen in his life.  He was pretty sure he could stare at the lip biting, angry flushed, cutie all day and be content.  He coughed on his drink, his eyes bugging out a bit.  Harry was _not_ cute; and he honestly must’ve been extremely drunk to have been thinking such disturbing thing about the younger man.

Louis was definitely going to have to stop with the alcohol… or maybe he really just needed to drink _more_ so he’d loosen up enough that thinking _normal_ thoughts about a _normal_ lad wouldn’t turn him into a self-conscious mess.  Was he allowed to think those things about Harry?  He could… right?  He thought Zayn was cute, sometimes… so yes, it was fine, probably.

Harry tapped away at his phone as Liam got sucked back into the conversation when Zayn asked him what he was doing in school, which was quickly followed by all of the conventional ensuing questions.

Louis glanced to the lad sitting across from him, voice lowered so only he would hear,   “Hey, we don’t have to say anything about it, if you don’t want.”  He gestured down to the ring resting on Harry’s chest, from the dangling chain he had it on, and the younger man must’ve understood because his pout fell away.  Louis found himself forming his own at the loss, until Harry’s lips grew into a tentative smile and he mouthed back a small, “Thanks…”

Louis nodded shortly, turning back to hear Liam discussing the economics courses he was a teaching assistant for.  He seemed to be getting along quite well with Niall and Zayn, and Louis couldn’t help himself from taking a shine to Liam too.  He was kind, genuine, and a bit outlandish at times, at least from what Louis could tell.  All of which were good characteristics in Louis’ mind.  And if he was Harry’s friend, he had to have been a decent fellow.

Liam made sure to tell the group that their friends would be showing up in a bit and Niall only seemed to grow more excited at the prospect of a bigger party.

It was only a few more moments of chatting between the five of them when a loud, brash voice interrupted what Zayn had been about to say.

“So which one of you is getting engaged to my dear Harold?”  Louis immediately found his upper lip curling into a sneer—as if he’d smelled something exceptionally potent— as a man with a quiff the size of a mini skyscraper stopped at the edge of their booth.  The man grinned at Harry and Liam both before scanning the other three as if sizing them up.  He stopped when his eyes fell on Louis, looking him up and down with his brows raised suggestively.  His voice only grew more grating on Louis’ ears as he spoke up again, “Hmm… brunet, short, pretty face,” he peered over the table at Louis’ lower half, tapping his chin, “big bum… must be you.”  He grinned as if he was fucking ‘cheeky’ and ‘clever’ for having figured it out.

Louis eyebrows shot up in disbelief at Harry’s choice in friend.  That guy was an asshole.  And Harry seemed to be in an understanding with that fact as he flushed brightly, chastising the man, “Grimmy!” before he was turning to the other lad that had arrived with him, who Louis hadn’t even seen yet, with a stilted, “Umm, it’s actually, we’re not…”

“You’re engaged?”  The guy—Aiden, it must’ve been— asked.  But he didn’t seem that interested, or invested like Louis had thought someone who Harry was supposedly in ‘relations with’ would’ve been.  Harry was stumbling over how to respond so Louis did it for him, turning to the stranger, “No.  Well, we are ‘engaged’… but we’re working it out.  We’re not actually getting married...”

The lad flashed him a smile and a look, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, and Louis ignored it to move closer to the edge of the round booth, Zayn following suit, so that Harry’s new friends could squeeze in beside him on the other side.

Louis was still a bit irked by that person’s—Grimmy, or whatever’s— behavior, but it all seemed to be at least a little worth putting up with when Harry gave him a thankful expression from across the table; most likely for having helped with his crush.

Louis quickly found himself offering to get everyone another round of drinks though, a main reason for doing so being that he really just couldn’t handle listening to Grimmy’s obnoxious guffaws any longer.  Zayn and Niall didn’t seem to mind the newcomer and Louis wondered whether he was the only one offended by the lad’s whole entire _being_.  Maybe he was, but the man had rubbed him the wrong way and Louis had never been a very forgiving person.

When he was at the bar and had just ordered them a round of Niall’s favorite type of beer he could feel a presence beside his own and he turned to see Aiden smiling down at him, a bit too close for Louis’ comfort.

“Thought you might’ve needed some help with the drinks…”  He offered, leaning against the counter and glancing over Louis’ figure with his eyes.  Louis wasn’t a novice; he knew what was going on.  And he was extremely offended for Harry’s sake.

Aiden was flirting with him.

At least, he seemed to be trying to, if the way he slid a hand to cup Louis’ elbow was any indication.

Louis gave him a look, easily slipping out of his grasp.  And instead of following Aiden’s statement with the response he had surely been wanting, Louis asked him a question instead, “So how long have you and Harry been together?”

And the other man quirked his brow for a brief moment, before he was smirking and turning to order something from the bartender himself, “We’re actually not together…  Like you two aren’t together.” He responded back, offering to buy Louis a drink which he immediately declined.

“Really…”  Louis replied, lifting his brows as he turned back towards the counter trying to keep the apparent distaste off of his expression.

“Yah, Harry’s great and all, but,”  Aiden looked him up and down again, like Grimmy had earlier, but ten times more degrading, “I like keeping my options open.”

Louis reached out for the amber liquid behind the bar not even caring that it wasn’t what he’d ordered, as he turned back towards Aiden, splashing a bit of it onto him; ‘accidentally’.  The drink seeped into Aiden’s shirt and a bit of his jeans and when Louis looked up to see his expression he was more than satisfied when Aiden’s mouth fell open in a sneer as he stared down at the mess.

“Shit...”  Louis began insincerely before setting the glass back on the counter, “Sorry, it was an accident.”  He had wanted to get it on Aiden’s shoes too.

Aiden gave him an incredulous look before scoffing and rubbing at the splotch of liquid on his shirt as if hoping to get it out.  “Yah…”

“Well should we head back to the table?”  Louis asked exuberantly after the bartender handed him the special drink he had ordered for Zayn.  She didn’t say anything about the beer he’d spilled, even though it hadn’t been his, and he knew she would just charge it to his tab as she usually did; one of the many perks he had for being a regular.

Louis moved back towards the group, not even glancing back to see if Aiden was following him or not.  One of the waitress’ would deliver the rest of the drinks Louis had ordered so he didn’t worry about them as he neared the table, noticing the seating order had changed a bit after he’d left.  Harry was now on Grimmy’s other side, presumably so he could sit next to Aiden when he got back.

Louis scowled as he moved into his own spot.  Harry clearly really liked the boy if the way he was grinning up at him was any indication.  He even went so far as to offer Aiden his own drink, batting his eyelashes at him and everything.  Louis was disgusted.  But he didn’t have to sit through it for very long as it was only five minutes later that Aiden was turning towards Grimmy and leaning over Harry to speak to him.  “Let’s go, Nick.”

Grimmy stopped his regaling of the first time he’d met Liam and Harry with an, “But we just got here!” 

And he received a peeved shrug in response, which was when Harry chirped in with a quiet, “You’re leaving already?”

“Yah. We’re going.”  Aiden responded, getting up and pulling Harry with him so that Grimmy could get out.

He was most definitely leading the younger man on when he leaned down to kiss Harry goodbye.  Aiden had no intention of dating him.  Louis could physically feel his frown deepen.  He was glaring so steadily he didn’t think he was imagining it when he caught Aiden’s eye during the kiss, as if the asshole was showing Louis that he was in fact kissing Harry, and that he was, in fact, leading him on.

Harry blushed, grinning as Aiden shifted back before leaving with Grimmy who bid them adieu, hoping to see them all again soon.  Louis had the opposite hope, pissed off by the both of them.  He’d take Grimmy over Aiden any day though.

He felt Zayn tap him on the arm, and when he turned to the other lad he was given a questioning look and a silent, “What’s wrong?”

Louis just shook his head; it was nothing Zayn needed to worry about.  Technically he shouldn’t have even been worrying about it, or caring, seeing as Harry wasn’t his friend.  They were just strangers that had been put into an awkward situation together.

It shouldn’t have even bothered him...

Except it did.  Even as the five of them continued their conversing, finishing more drinks and laughing plenty, especially at Harry’s atrocious joke telling skills, Louis found he was still extremely disgruntled with what had happened.  He kept thinking back to how happy Harry had seemed at the affection he’d gotten from Aiden; how smiley he’d been after they’d kissed.  Harry must’ve been just dopily in love.  That was the only reason Louis could think of for why the younger lad had been so content under such attention.


	5. Chapter 5

Louis didn’t know why he had decided to wear the outfit his mom had picked out for him that morning, but he was definitely regretting the jacket he was currently sweating in; especially when the sun beat down and made it particularly uncomfortable.

He’d gotten away with wearing his skinny jeans and a black t-shirt beneath the jacket, as opposed to the nicer ensemble his mother had picked out, but he still wasn’t feeling like a very happy camper.

Especially as they walked beneath the trees and stopped to smile at all the nature; Louis was not very content.  And it was mostly all due to the fact that they were being forced to do so for their wedding photos.  Yah, people _did_ those.  He was just glad the park they were in was relatively empty, which, though it was odd for such a nice day, was good, because he didn’t want to draw more attention to where he and Harry were currently acting like children.  Even as their mothers chided them and the professional photographer gave them irritated looks, as he was a _professional_ and they were very much acting the opposite, they still continued to be as disobedient as possible.

“Harry Edward Styles if you do not smile, so help me.”  Anne cut in, huffing at them with her hands on her hips, as if _that_ would make Harry start doing what she wanted.

Louis grinned despite not wanting to follow their mother’s wishes, glancing at Harry to snort, “You’re middle name’s Edward?”  It actually wasn’t even an embarrassing name, except for the fact the main character in ‘Twilight’ had the same one, but Louis really just wanted something to tease Harry with.  He even had enough composure to only laugh a little bit at the quirked frown on Harry’s lips.

“Har har.”  Harry enunciated back, plastering on the most ostentatious smile Louis had thought he’d ever seen at his mother’s command.  It was even worse than their fake smiles had been and Louis had had years of boring family and business gatherings to practice those at.

But after a few more seconds, when Louis was just too tired to hold the muscles in his face at the right angle to count worthy of a smile (or, in actuality, a sneer), he decided to keep his middle finger up in each photo instead: where he held Harry’s hand up to the camera for one, where he wrapped his arm around the other boy’s shoulder leaving plenty of room to hold his hand out for another, for a solo picture where he smiled all of two seconds before flipping the bird.

He had to admit, he was proud of himself for not throwing up his Westside gesture instead – as his mother absolutely abhorred that one.  But in wanting to make her regret her decisions, he figured adding some variety to the next couple of shots would be nice.

If she hadn’t yelled at him before he could even do so, “Louis stop making those hand gestures at the camera!” and threaten to take away his car if he didn’t behave.  It was almost as if she really thought he still was an adolescent and not a twenty six year old man.

But he did love his car.  And so he grimaced before lowering his hand.

They continued at the pace they’d been at before, taking picture after picture as Louis and Harry tried their best to ruin every single one of them.  And things were playing out much to their wishes.

That was, until their photographer lowered his camera for a moment, and instructed, “Okay, now for a kissing pose.”

It was like the night of their first marriage preparation class all over again; except they were _not_ going to be making out in front of their mothers.  Louis balked from where he’d been sticking his tongue out and screwing his eyes at the camera.  “Wait, what?” 

The man stared back at him like he didn’t have enough patience in the world to be dealing with the two of them right then.  He obviously wasn’t very good with children.  “You’re engaged right?”  He sounded frustrated, most likely due to the fact that he probably hadn’t gotten many, if any, good photos of them throughout the entire first hour they’d been at the park.  “So let’s get a picture where you kiss...”

Their mothers were squealing before they even had a chance to deny him his photo opportunity.  Louis’ mom was the first to speak as she put her hands to her cheeks and squealed, “Oh my goodness, your first kiss!”

It wasn’t actually.  But it didn’t seem to matter, nor was it a fact known to their mothers that they’d already kissed (sort of made out…) before.  And Louis was fine with keeping it that way.

“It’s going to be so sweet!!!”  Anne squeaked next, blushing, as if just the thought of her son kissing his betrothed was too unbearably cute for her to handle.

Harry looked mortified, eyes widening almost comically and lips twisting into an impressive frown.  He turned to their mothers after a few more seconds of their freaking out, flushing and trying to look unimpressed, “Mom, stop.  You’re so embarrassing.”

What was even more embarrassing than that though was when Jay spoke up again, to encourage Louis with a cheery, “Go on, Boo, give it to him!”  If Louis wasn’t so mortified himself, he definitely would’ve spent more time watching the frown fall from Harry’s face to be replaced with a smirk at the pet name his mother had used for him, because damn, Harry looked _hot_ with a smirk gracing his lips.

But that was unimportant at the moment.  Because the younger lad would pay for his insolence at thinking Louis’ nickname was funny… Only he was allowed to tease Harry _Edward_ for his name, not the other way around.

Currently he had more important issues to attend to though, such as stopping their mothers from embarrassing them further.  “How are we supposed to convey our ‘love’ if you two insist on sticking around?”  And that finally got them to stop giggling like school girls as they momentarily contemplated his words.

Upon deciding that they _did_ have to do some other errands before their later appointment of cake testing, and with a promise from the boys to be good for the photographer, which, yah right, their mother’s left and the two of them were finally alone.  Well alone with a still quite displeased photographer.

Louis would have felt bad for being so uncooperative for the man had he been taking pictures for any other reason, but it wasn’t Louis’ fault he was being forced into a marriage he had no interest in being in.  He had to do what he had to do, casualties or not.

And so when they started back up taking photos, Louis continued being a menace and Harry continued to help.  But it was when he saw Harry smirk again that he was reminded of the other lad thinking his nickname was funny, and in return for having thought so— because no one was allowed to make fun of Louis, not even cute boys with sharp jawlines and suggestive looking smiles; _especially_ not cute, suggestive boys with sharp jawlines— he turned to jab Harry, hard, in the side.

When the younger lad yelped, and rubbed at his waist, they’d effectively messed up the photo and Louis couldn’t help but grin delightedly.  Of course they got reprimanded by the photographer, again, but it was worth it to know Harry was now frowning at him.

And when they began moving to a different location in the park, what Louis hadn’t expected was to trip and almost smash his face into the cobblestone path they were on.  He glared up at the offending object, Harry’s foot, to see the younger lad smiling down at him, before lilting a silky sweet, “Sorry, I just have such long legs…”

It took Louis a few moments to comprehend that that was Harry’s act of vengeance for what Louis had done earlier and he was quick to pull himself together, giving Harry his own grin, eyes crinkling up as he squinted them in faux understanding.  Harry was a silly, silly boy if he thought he’d gotten the best of Louis.

And so, when it was Harry’s turn for a solo shot, Louis made sure to make the best, and probably ugliest, face he could behind the photographers back, and Harry, easily amused as he was, broke into a huff of laughter, dimples appearing onto his cheeks.  Louis thought he looked unbelievably endearing as his bright laughter broke through the still air, and he was almost positive the photographer had to have gotten a great photo of the younger lad looking perfect and pretty and delightedly happy, _but_ , because it was supposed to be a serious picture Harry still got yelled at.

Which meant Louis’ revenge had been a success.  He was the Menace _King_ after all; no one could one up him at his own game, not even Harry.  He was pleased though, and maybe a bit charmed, with the fact that the younger man seemed to be playing along with him.  He was very much enjoying himself.

Louis stayed attentive, waiting for the boy’s next move as they stepped closer together for their subsequent pose.  Harry’s hands were forcibly placed on Louis’ waist, as the photographer indicated that he wanted to get a close up of them ‘gazing into each other’s eyes,’ and Louis could feel those hands creeping incrementally lower as the photographer fiddled with his camera. 

And Harry’s hands didn’t seem to stop as they continued lowering themselves, further and further, until they came to rest on top of Louis’ butt.  Louis was almost positive he was about to have a heart attack.

“I’m unfazed.”  He mumbled, keeping his composure, if only smiling a bit maniacally counted.  And then Harry squeezed and maybe it was a bit of a _huge_ lie that he was unfazed with Harry’s massive hands covering his butt because, _Hell_ , Louis couldn’t stop his body from reacting the way it was going to and they were in public for God’s sake.  He was a weak, weak man.

Harry grinned down at him, “What was that, Louis?”  He only waited a moment, the smallest sparkle gleaming in his eyes as he squeezed Louis’ butt again and watched the older splutter and flush.  “Can’t have a hard-on in the photos?”  He asked lightly, leaning in to hide his laughter in Louis’ shoulder as he finally removed his hands from Louis’ rear to place them back on his waist.

Louis pursed his lips, trying to hold back his own smile at Harry’s dainty little giggles, and the slight shake of his hands on Louis’ waist as he tried to control his laughter. 

An idea sparked in his mind at the feel of those fingers moving against his sides.  “Harold… are you ticklish?”  And Louis didn’t even wait for the horror-filled look to cross Harry’s face before he was attacking him with so much ferocity and force that Harry, who had immediately tried to back up, tripped over himself, pulling Louis over with him.

Louis didn’t mind the changed position, as having Harry beneath him made it easier to get back at the younger for his _rude_ behavior, so he continued tickling the life out of the lad, laughing maniacally as Harry pleaded, between his own cackles, for Louis to ‘God, please, stop!’

It only was a few more seconds of unrelenting assaults before Harry was able to roll them over and pin Louis’ hands by his waist so he could stop the barrage.  The wind had been knocked out of Louis with the force of it, his mouth parting as he took in large gulps of air to calm his rapidly thrumming heart, swallowing as he glanced up into Harry’s eyes, where the younger was now leaning over him.

Harry’s lips were also parted the smallest bit as he tried to gather his own air back and Louis couldn’t help but to stare at those perfectly formed, cherry lips.  And he was suddenly so glad that he hadn’t actually gotten hard from having his butt squeezed because Harry would most certainly have been able to tell from where he had his thigh pressed between Louis’ legs.

When the younger tore his gaze from Louis’ face the two of them suddenly realized they probably shouldn’t have been in the position they were, and gathering their bearings, Harry stood, Louis using the moment of clear space to glance towards their photographer.

He instantly felt dread then, as he saw the man smirking down at his camera, looking back through his roll of film.  Louis got up on shaky legs.  “…O-okay, so can we go now?  Are we, like, done yet…?”  He was mostly asking to break the awkwardness that had settled between them, but he also did so because he was ready to go.  Like two hours ago, he’d been ready.

Louis broke out of his reverie at the photographer’s response, “One more photo and _then_ you can leave.”

And he found himself growing slightly more animated at the promise, quickly losing the odd feeling that had formed in his gut at having Harry so close.

“Really?” Harry squeaked, and he had to clear his throat to normalize his tone.  “Finally…”  He muttered afterwards and Louis found himself glancing over to the younger man, to see that he looked… rather normal.  Like he should’ve looked.  No blush, or mussed hair, or anything to indicate that they’d just been rolling around on the ground together.  Nothing…  Good.

Louis turned back to the photographer, forcing a grin.  “Well go ahead, what is it?”  And his slight elation at being almost done quickly fell at the response.  “I’m going to need that kissing shot.”

There was a moment of silence, before Harry acknowledged that he’d spoken, and Louis was suddenly very glad to have the other lad there to suffer with him.  “You can’t be serious…”

“Last photo.  Just one...”  The man sounded much more pleased than he had at the beginning of their photo shoot.  Louis was not very happy about that, but there was only one picture left; he could do it, it wouldn’t be _that_ bad, kissing Harry, _again_.  It really didn’t mean anything anyways; they’d done it before… so whatever got them finished with their torture sooner, the better.

Harry looked ready to continue arguing his point, but Louis was done with being awkward about nothing; he was ready to go.  He turned to the younger lad, reaching up to press his finger at the crinkle between Harry’s eyebrows.  It almost smoothed out before Harry was squinting down at him again, “What are you doing?”

Louis pushed the boy’s eyebrows back to their natural positioning on his forehead.  “Smooth out tension,” he mumbled before pinching the apples of Harry’s cheeks to redden them, “A healthy pink glow...”  He grabbed the sides of Harry’s face to position his head at just the right angle, tipping it forward.  “Tilt for precision…  Perfect.”

And Louis glanced up at Harry for only a moment more before he was lifting up onto his tiptoes to gently form his lips to the other boy’s soft, soft mouth; nose nudging into his cheek and fingertips pressing along the line of his jaw.  Harry tasted like he had before, sweet; spearmint gum and cherry Chap Stick tickling at Louis’ taste buds.  Harry’s lips felt like they had before, pliant and velvety against Louis’ own.

Unlike the last time, Louis could savor the moment, pay attention to the pressure of Harry’s mouth; hear the tiniest breathy exhale he let escape when they parted.  He could feel Harry’s hands gripping at his hips, to help him stay on his toes and when Louis fell back onto his heels, and Harry’s hands fell away, they finally broke eye contact, Louis’ flickering anywhere else but for Harry’s pretty, pretty lips or Harry’s pretty, pretty eyes.  Or really any part of Harry because every part of the other man was pretty, and nice, and lovely.

“Alright, good…  _Now_ can we go?”  Louis asked, clearing his throat.  And when the photographer, where he had his head bent over looking through the pictures he’d just taken, nodded at them, Louis was off to the parking lot, Harry hot on his tail.  “I’m starving.” Louis mumbled, merely for something to say, as he pulled out his keys to unlock the car.

He was not going to think about that kiss... he was not.  Because that would have just made things uncomfortable; especially with that weird squirming sensation he could feel in the pit of his stomach.  Which obviously meant that he was hungry; there was no other reason he could think of for why his body would be acting the way that it was...

And seeing as they had a cake tasting appointment with their mothers at the bakery across town, and knowing that they didn’t want to be on-time, they stopped for fast food on the way there and quickly munched down, trying to keep the grease off the leather seats and doing their best to be too ‘busy’ chowing down to speak.

It was almost worse in the silence though because Louis only had more time to ~~think~~ not think about that kiss, and when he would look over to Harry to see shiny, spit-slicked lips he certainly did not reimagine them attached to his own.  He threw a napkin at Harry’s head in retaliation and the younger gave him a sheepish smile back, as if he knew what he was doing to Louis’ imagination.

When they finally made it to the specified bakery, Louis could already see Anne’s car in the parking lot and the two of them decided to wait outside for twenty more minutes to irritate their parents further.

Louis made sure to use that time to _not_ think about Harrys mouth _or_ that kiss, but he could only last five minutes before he was determining that being in a closed vehicle with the other lad wasn’t a very good idea for his mental state.

So he ushered them into the cake shop and upon entry they were escorted over to a circular table off to the side, where their mothers already were.  The women didn’t even yell at them for their untimeliness, like they’d been hoping, seeming all too content to continue grinning and tasting the different types of cake that were set out in front of them.

Both Harry and Louis could agree that cake testing was serious business though.  And so _they_ were serious as they sarcastically fed each other pieces and made comments about how mediocre the cakes were, even if they were much, much better than that.

They had been set out their own tiny platter of different pieces of cake and when Louis picked one up—that was chocolate something or other with champagne something icing (he really wasn’t paying attention to his mom’s explanation)—he lifted it towards Harry’s mouth and the other lad took it happily, before making a thoughtful expression.  “Wow this is sweet...”  He licked at the fork and Louis definitely didn’t follow the movement of Harry’s tongue as he continued, “Almost as sweet as my life would be if I didn’t have to marry you.”

Anne and Jay continued picking out their own favorites, ignoring, to the best of their abilities, Harry’s comment and Louis’ response.

“Darling, I could not agree more.”  And he took another bite of the almond cake they’d already had a bit of earlier and fed another small bit to Harry again.  Louis liked that one, and he was pretty sure Harry liked it too.  Or maybe Harry just seemed extra pleased at the term of address Louis had used for him.

Either way he decided calling Harry darling was something he would keep in mind for a later date.  _Not_ because he wanted to see the younger lad looking like a content, adorable peanut with his face squinted up into a smug little grin again, or anything, but because it was important to have things to tease Harry with…  Yes; to tease him with.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit short, sorry guys! But the next one is going to be a lot longer, so... I hope you enjoy anyways! :)

Harry tapped on the passenger side door, ducking forward to wave at him through the glass.  There was just enough of a pause for Louis to rake a hand through his loose fringe one last time— so he could make sure he looked good, not for Harry or anything— before the younger lad was sliding into his car, glancing over at him with a beatific grin.

Louis pinched his leg to stop his own smile from encompassing the entirety of his face.   He rolled his eyes for good measure, mumbling, “Took you long enough…” in the other’s direction.  When he glanced over at Harry again, because he really couldn’t help himself, he could see why.  The younger man looked even nicer than he usually did with his hair slicked back and a loose white button up doing absolutely crazy things to Louis’ mind.

Louis swallowed down the dryness that had once again wedged itself into his throat, and dawning his Ray-Bans so the sun wouldn’t get in his eyes (and so maybe Harry wouldn’t notice him continually glancing over—not that the younger man wasn’t doing the exact same thing), Louis moved his hands to the steering wheel and shifted the car into reverse, moving them onto the road.

It wasn’t long before they were in conversation, bantering like it was normal for them to do.  In fact, it had only taken maybe two seconds before Louis was questioning the latest cat text Harry had sent him, because yes they texted quite frequently then, and Harry was all serious smiles as he replied with why it was the most precious kitten in existence.  And when there was a lull in conversation Harry was back to picking through Louis’ CD collection and Louis was glad he’d replaced all of the albums he’d previously had stored in his car with different ones, finding he quite enjoyed hearing Harry’s thoughts on the artists and bands that he liked.

It almost startled Louis with how quickly their car ride took as they were suddenly back in front of the building they were going to be forced to spend another few hours at, for their second marriage preparation class.  It had felt like they had only been talking for a few minutes only and suddenly they were there.

It was as if Louis had gotten lost in a haze of Harry and hadn’t even realized it.  Not that he really minded, though.  He figured he could’ve listened to Harry talk all day.

And that _wasn’t_ because Harry spoke at a rather subdued pace, but because Harry was intelligent and bright and silly, and Louis liked his voice and the way his mouth formed his words.  And Louis especially liked how Harry seemed to only have eyes for him when they talked. 

Except _no_.  Those were _not_ reasons he liked talking to Harry… he just liked… uh, that Harry’s conversations weren’t boring... he didn’t like anything about his voice… or stupid stuff like that. He didn’t.

Which was why Louis made sure to down an entire glass of wine before he was even considering sitting down at their assigned table.  And maybe Harry gave him an adorable expression, quirking his brow with an endearing tilt to his head at the drinking thing, but that was neither here nor there because Louis did not care at all.  Harry could look as attractive, cute, and sweet as he wanted and Louis would not think anything of it. Because he didn’t care

He instead decided to think about how boring their lecture would be.

Except with Harry there, it really wasn’t.  Of course it wasn’t.

With the new game they’d established at the end of their last meeting, the two of them decided they’d be _that_ sickeningly sweet couple; and it certainly left for a lot of fun on their behalf.

And maybe Louis didn’t hate holding Harry’s hand every second they got and cooing disgustingly lovely things to him, only to get mildly disturbed looks from the surrounding couples.  And it seemed that maybe Harry didn’t hate it too much either, if the flush on his cheeks and equally gross responses were any indication.

It didn’t mean anything though.  They were just two lads having a bit of fun at everyone else’s expense.

Their shenanigans were the only things keeping Louis awake anyways as the lecture consisted of a special-guest couple bantering on about how they fell in love and, as it was both superficial and annoying to listen to, Louis was very bored.

Harry seemed interested though and Louis didn’t appreciate that; Harry could not be not-bored if Louis was.  He just couldn’t be.

So after they finished eating their meals, Louis tried to get Harry’s attention all to himself again.

He started with poking.  First with his foot at Harry’s ankle and then his hand at Harry’s arm when he hadn’t gotten a response except for a stifled grin and an overt eye roll.

Louis glanced up at the makeshift stage for a moment, to hear the man lecturer laughing about something his wife had said, the rest of the audience seeming to think it was also funny as they chuckled along, but as it didn’t intrigue Louis, he turned back to continue what he’d been doing.  “Psssstt, Harry…”

He continued being ignored, “Harreh.”

Still there was nothing.  “Harold, Harra, Hair…” His ‘inside’ voice was growing increasingly louder as he continued poking at the other boy’s arm.  “Harz, Hazzz… oooh I like that one.  Haz… Hazzah.”   Harry’s smile continued to grow, until he had to force his lips into a tight line to physically stop them from quirking up.  Louis most certainly enjoyed how cute that made Harry look as he continued his prodding and began to quietly sing, “Hazza, Haz-bear, Hazzy…”

It was only a few more seconds of pestering before Harry finally turned to him, pursing his lips with “Hush, Lou.”  His tone was much too warm and his voice sounded much too fond for him to have actually been angry with Louis.

So he grinned back, a response on the tip of his tongue, when, “Excuse me.  Are we disturbing you?” interrupted them.  The two lads looked up at the stage to see the speakers glaring directly at them, Harry (out of the two of them) actually had the decency to blush and bashfully apologize; Louis hadn’t realized he’d been being that loud.  He really didn’t care that much though.

He turned back to Harry, noting that the pretty pink tint to the younger man’s cheeks was in large contrast to the usual lovely pallor of his skin.  Louis couldn’t stop himself from studying Harry’s profile then, where the boy was now chewing on his full bottom lip, watching the stage even more intently as if to apologize for his earlier misbehavior; which had entirely been Louis’ fault.

“Harry.”  Louis stage whispered again, not even minding that he was purposefully drawing attention to them after they had just been reprimanded; he had never been a fan of being discreet anyways.

The younger was back to ignoring him.  Or trying to, but Louis knew he had been heard because the edge of that pretty lip began turning up in the corner.  “Hazza…”  He muttered, not even bothering to look like he was paying attention.  He wasn’t.  He had more mesmerizing things to be paying attention to.

“Shhh...”  Harry murmured back, not even sparing a glance in his direction.  Louis let out a meager whine, pointing to the heavy pout on his lips so that Harry wouldn’t be able to miss it if he decided to look.  “But Harry, I’m so bored!”  He mouthed back, lowering himself further in his chair and flinging his arms to his sides in desperation.

Harry turned to him with a stern look, but Louis knew he couldn’t have actually been _that_ annoyed with him, he was most likely just as bored as the older lad, possibly… he hoped.  But Louis enjoyed when Harry’s attention was on him anyways, no matter what emotion that attention came with.  So he continued, “Hazzy-poo,” whining again.

“Okay, okay, shh.”  Harry grinned with a shake of his head as he glanced around the table for anything to distract Louis with.  His eyes landed on the untouched bowl of pudding and he picked it up to place the chocolate dessert in front of Louis instead, brandishing a spoon with it.  “Eat this, and be quiet.” he ordered, ignoring Louis’ groan as he turned back towards the front to see the speaker giving them another quick irritated glance.  “But Harry!”

The younger lad let out a low groan of his own as he turned to the _literal child_ sitting across from him.  He sat in contemplation a moment before a spark flit through his eyes and he opened his mouth, a wide grin set into it.  “Okay fine, then I’ll tell you some jokes so you won’t be so bored.”

And Louis immediately shook his head at the whispered suggestion, picking up the pudding bowl to cup in his hand.  “Uh, no that’s okay…  I’ll just eat the pudding, I guess.”

Harry breathed a chuckle of satisfaction, as if Louis hadn’t just dissed his joke telling abilities.  He really hoped Harry wouldn’t tell him more knock-knocks later; those were the younger boy’s favorite.

He ate the last spoonful of pudding when the speakers finally finished and once everyone stopped clapping for them, Harry grasped Louis’ hands in his massive one—Louis’ heart _did not_ stammer— to guide the two of them towards the door.

At the exit there was hardly a line in the checkout station, unlike the lecture before, and when they finally signed out, the same man who had taken a picture of them the week before gave them an anxious glance.

“Wait you _don’t_ need us to kiss to leave this time?”  Louis asked when they stopped in front of him.  He hadn’t seen any other couples kissing either and he _wasn’t_ disappointed.  It wasn’t like he wanted an excuse to kiss Harry again or anything.  So he wasn’t disappointed when the guy gave them an apprehensive look, mumbling out a quiet, “No, please,” as he ushered them towards the door before they could make another scene.

Harry heaved a sigh, with a murmured “Dang, I was really looking forward to it…”

And Louis was quick to grin up at him with his own, “That’s okay darling.  I’ll ravish you when we get home.”  The man gave them another look, but Louis couldn’t be bothered to find it amusing as he was watching Harry instead.  Because again, at the nickname, Harry was beaming like a little kid and giggling to himself at their stupidity and Louis was floored with how unbelievably charming and lovely Harry was.

He found himself wanting to cause that reaction in the younger boy again.  And possibly again, and again, and again for a really long time because the perfect word to describe Harry, at all points of the day, was darling.

Louis felt like he needed to make that clear to the younger man.

He allowed Harry to lead him out with their hands still entwined, like it was natural for them and not the first time they’d done so, and there wasn’t anything weird about it.  Louis’ hands didn’t even grow sticky with sweat as he gripped the younger lad’s.

It was almost, sort of, perfect.  In a platonic, friends-holding-hands kind of way.

And though Harry dropped his palm a few moments after they’d exited the building, Louis made sure to open the car door for the younger lad, because that’s what friends did for each other.

And when he drove them back home later they interacted like friends and laughed like friends, and they teased each other like friends.  Because they _were_ friends then.  And Louis thought that perhaps being forced into an arranged marriage with the younger man wasn’t as bad as he had originally assumed it would be, because at least he’d been able to become acquainted with the ridiculously cute, dork of a boy.

He still wasn’t okay with being forced into matrimony though, and dealing with all of the annoyances that that entailed.  Absolutely not.  But Louis _did_ enjoy the brilliant smile Harry had given him when he’d called the younger ‘darling’ again, later that evening, and maybe, with those pretty Harry smile’s directed towards him, it was all a bit more worth it.


	7. Chapter 7

Louis wasn’t going to stop warring against his or Harry’s mother anytime soon.  In fact, he was going to make _everything_ he and Harry did in preparation for their ‘wedding’ a living Hell in hopes that the two women would see how absurd they were being and take it all back.

At least, that was the plan.

Which was why Louis made sure to complain an extra lot, more than he usually would have, when his mother shoved him into their family’s car to be chauffeured to Harry’s house and then to the alterations place where they would pick up their tuxes.  That had been specifically fitted for them for their ‘big day’.

And though their ‘big day’ wasn’t for another two months, Louis was getting a bit worried.  Because later that evening both of their families were supposed to be getting together for an engagement party type thing, which meant it would be harder to get his parents to change their minds about the marriage.  It would still be possible… but much, much harder.

Once Harry joined him in the car, though, the two of them continued their scheming.  And when they made it to the alterations place, the Tomlinson family driver waited out by the vehicle as Harry and Louis made their way inside to pick up their fitted suits.

While Louis spoke with the cashier, Harry stayed relatively quiet, and when Louis glanced back to see the younger lad yawning into his palm, he noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes.  It’d been hard to see them in the dimmed light of the car and Louis had maybe been just a little _too_ excited that Harry was there to have detected his subdued mood, but there was definitely something up with the lad, and Louis was determined to find out.

“What’s wrong, pumpkin?”  He asked when they walked out, each of them holding their own newly altered tuxes.

Harry must’ve realized what Louis was referring to when he yawned again.  He furrowed his brow for a moment, before humming an, “I’m just sleepy…”  He turned to face Louis, doing his best to perk his features up so that he could look like he wasn’t sleep deprived.   

“We have our final exams this week…” he continued in explanation, running a hand through his curls before fixing his headscarf back into place.  It was a nice black and white patterned cloth this time; though it looked like Harry had just thrown it on to hold his hair back while he slaved over his law textbooks, or whatever it was that good students actually did in preparation for their exams.  Louis wouldn’t have had any idea as he actually wasn’t sure when his own finals would be.  But before he could respond, Harry was mumbling, “I just really wish my mom hadn’t decided to have our engagement party this weekend.”

And Louis could sympathize with that.  He gave Harry a soft look, reaching out to push one of those pretty, loose curls back behind his ear.  “I’m sorry love.  Are you going to go home and study some more?”

Harry gave him a small smile at the gesture before he was shrugging and glancing down at the sidewalk with a tiny frown.  “Yah, I think so… Maybe try to squeeze in a few pages of notes before we have to go to the party.”  He didn’t seem like he enjoyed the idea too terribly much.

“Or you could, maybe, take a nap.”  Louis offered instead.  Harry looked like he could’ve used one.

The younger lad squeezed at the skin beneath his bottom lip, with his pointer finger and thumb, as if seriously considering the suggestion.  “Maybe…”  He seemed to only need a little bit more convincing, which Louis had been happily about to supply when the driver spoke up, from where he was a good two dozen feet behind him.

“Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Styles, whenever you’re ready…”  He was polite in his announcement, but he was also stern, no doubt having been warned by Louis’ mom to make sure that the ‘boys don’t dilly dally’ home.  Louis wasn’t in the mood to be a good ‘boy’ though, as he turned back to Harry to continue their conversing.  “Hey… I have an idea of what you can do instead of studying...”  He paused a moment, glancing suspiciously around himself. “It involves me showing you something.”

Harry glanced over Louis’ shoulder at their driver before meeting his gaze again.  “Right now?”

Louis nodded, a smile growing on his lips as he subtly pointed in the opposite direction of where they should’ve been heading.  “Yep, it’s that way.”

Harry was hesitant for a few moments before, “What about the driver?  He _is_ supposed to make sure we make it to the party in an hour.”  Harry’s concerned expression was adorable and Louis found his grin growing by the second at the confusion in Harry’s tilted brow.

“It’s fine…  We honestly won’t take that long...  I mean, worst case scenario, he’ll just yell at us and maybe try to run us over with the car.  But I’m willing to risk it if you are.”

It was a few more seconds before Harry was giving one of his sweet, darling smiles, puffing out a small, “sure…” as if the driver would catch on to what they were up to if he spoke too loudly.

Louis beamed back, taking Harry’s hand in his own.  He made sure to hold tight to the tux in his other arm.  “Alright, ready then?  We’re going to make a run for it.”

Harry grinned before nodding, and then they were off and half-assedly (on Louis’ part) jogging down the street with the drivers yelled, “Mr. Tomlinson!!  Mr. Styles!  Come back, please!” chasing after them.  Louis gripped Harry’s palm harder, squeezing for a moment, before leading him down an alleyway off to the side of where they were.  They were still scurrying away, though there really was no longer a need to, and the ridiculousness of acting like they were unruly teenagers again had them grinning at each other, letting out a few easy laughs as they moved past dirtied walls and side-stepped puddles of who knew what on the cracked cement below.

Louis’ phone buzzed and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, making a face when he saw the caller I.D.  “It’s the driver!”  He shouted, immediately powering his phone off to get away from the soon to be incessant calling, grinning up at Harry who was trying to stifle a few laughs behind his palm, dimples appearing and being quickly covered up with those long fingers.  It was almost a shame.  But Louis had other things to think about anyways, like where they were…

He slowed their pace to a normal stroll, glancing around the brick alleyway they’d managed to sneak down, “It’s around here somewhere…”  Louis hummed as they neared the next street over.  He slowed even more, until he was stopping, looking up at the brick wall nearest them that was decorated in all different paints, swirls of graffiti snaking up its side in bursts of color.

Louis quickly turned to see Harry’s reaction.  The younger boy was staring up at it, eyes washing over the entire magnificent thing that spanned most of the wall, the shade of the adjacent building only darkening a corner of it.  “Zayn did it…”  Louis mumbled, not wanting to break Harry’s concentration.

“It’s amazing.”  He replied, finally moving his eyes away to catch Louis’.

Louis let out an awkward chuckle when he realized he was still holding Harry’s hand, and the boy was now looking at him.  He dropped it. “Umm yah, took Zayn a few days to do it, but in the end, it turned out really well.  I helped pick out some of the colors.”

Harry’s eyes widened a fraction, a small smile working its way onto his face.  “I love it even more now.”

Louis teetered back onto his heels as his hands found their way into his pockets, smiling a bit shyly at Harry before turning back to the wall as well, staring up at the myriad of colors.  He wondered if any other people had ever stopped to look at Zayn’s artwork, and how many of them had thought the same things as Harry had.

After a few long minutes, Louis stepped back, turning to face the younger again with, “Well that’s pretty much it… Just thought since we were around here, I’d show you…”

Harry gave him a small smile, humming a quiet, “Thank you,” as they made their way out onto the street.  It was a second before Harry spoke again, marveling, “I think Liam lives around here…”  And a momentary pause where his lips pursed in contemplation before, “Wanna visit him real quick?”

Louis nodded easily, not minding in the least if they went to see the other lad.  He’d quite enjoyed Liam’s genuine personality the first time they’d met and visiting certainly would’ve been fun.  Especially if it was something Harry wanted to do.  “Sure, Hazza, lead the way.”  And it was definitely nice to see Harry beam back at him before he was being guided down the street about a block to the front of a rustic building.  When they entered and began climbing the steps, Louis jabbed Harry’s side with his finger, scurrying up the rest of the stairs as quickly as he could with the younger on his tail.

And upon continuing his incessant and annoying poking at Harry’s waist, pulling huffed laughs from the man himself, Louis knocked on the specified door, possibly a bit obnoxiously as he could already hear footfalls nearing them on the other side.  But at least Harry thought it was entertaining as he continued to smile down at him.

When the door was flung open Louis was shocked, though he really shouldn’t have been, to find Niall staring back at him, before an excited, “Louis!” was leaving the Irishman’s mouth.

Louis glanced over Niall’s shoulder to see Liam peering at them from around a corner, and even further back Zayn lazing on a lumpy looking couch.  “What are you two heathens doing here?”  He asked, yelping over dramatically when Niall pulled him in to a hug before the blonde was doing the same to a surprised Harry.

“Us and Liam are besties now, ain’t we?”  Niall called, though he didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer from either Zayn or Liam as he ushered the newcomers in.

“Besties?”  Louis asked immediately, brows twitching in amusement.

Niall beamed at him before downing the beer that seemed to have magically appeared in his hand.  “Yep.”  He either hadn’t noticed Louis’ teasing, or if he had, he just really didn’t care.

“How often do you guys’ hang out…?”  Harry asked, toeing off his boots and walking towards the couch where Zayn was seating, his head lofted on the back pillows as he rested his eyes.

Liam was the one to respond, after he’d taken their tuxes to hang up in his closet, with an unsure, “Umm, I don’t know—” until he was interrupted by a very exuberant blond, “We went out drinking last night and then crashed at Liam’s.”

“And you haven’t left yet?  It’s like six in the afternoon!”  Louis exclaimed, looking suspiciously towards his friends.  They could be real pains in the ass and he hoped they hadn’t been overstaying their welcome.  Apparently they hadn’t though as Liam responded, “It’s fine, I enjoy the company,” as he moved into the main room with Louis.

Which was good, but Louis decided he’d have to inform Liam, later, of ways to make Zayn and Niall disappear, just in case he needed them. One could never be too prepared.

Zayn finally spoke up then, opening his eyes to blink blearily towards the four other room inhabitants.  “You guy’s wanna watch a movie?  We were about to put one in.”

Harry responded with a cheery, “yeah” while Louis had to set parameters with, “Alright… but we can’t stay too late as we have a prior engagement.”

Niall seemed to think his statement was hilarious as he busted a nut laughing, patting at his belly with his beer bottle when he was done, as if it hurt from over exertion.  “Ha, prior _engagement_ , that’s funny… you know coz’ you two are getting married.”

“Jesus Christ…”  Louis mumbled, wondering how much Niall had had to drink before they’d gotten there.  He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been a lot.

Liam gave Louis a sympathetic pat on the back as he passed by him towards the shelf that looked to be housing his DVD collection. “Well since Niall got to choose last time, it’s your turn Zayn.”

It took all of two seconds before Zayn was responding, “Scarface.”

“Knew you’d pick that one.”  Louis mumbled.  Harry gave him a curious look from where he stood beside him, Louis opening his mouth to explain, “He always does.  Like, literally always.  It’s his favorite.”

“It’s a good movie.”  Zayn mumbled in response, leaning his head back down against the cushions, where it’d been before.

“It’s not bad…” Louis admitted, before he could hear Niall shouting from the other room, probably a kitchen, “Lili, you got popcorn?”

The boy responded with an affirmative before going to help the leprechaun find the buttery snack as Harry tapped Louis’ elbow, drawing his attention to ask if he wanted a drink.

Louis was quick to thank him but decline, and Harry nodded, giving him a gentle smile before following after Liam into the kitchen.  Louis took the opportunity of peace to make space for himself on the couch, next to his _favorite_ person, or well, the only one of his favorite people currently in the same room as him.

And there was nothing more satisfying than irritating said favorite person. “What are you doing, you bum.  Letting Niall steal all of Liam’s food...”  He pinched Zayn on the nose, as the lad had closed his eyes again, forcing the man to swat him away when he couldn’t breathe.

“Liam doesn’t seem to mind,” was his simple reply.

Louis sniveled at him after a moment, crossing his arms over his chest.  “Well why weren’t Harry and I invited to this little get together last night?”

Zayn blinked over at him, knowing he wasn’t actually upset.  “Liam said Harry was studying and I knew you were busy having game night with your sisters.”

Everything Zayn had said was true; Louis wouldn’t have been able to hang out with the boy’s the previous night even if they _had_ asked, but that didn’t mean he was going to let Zayn off the hook that easily.  Louis kept his troubled expression, “Well, fine, next time I’m having a party, you’re not invited.”

And Zayn gave him his signature lazy smile back, all perfect white teeth and chiseled cheekbones, with an obviously unimpressed, “Yah, okay Lou…”

Louis didn’t have time to respond as Harry came back in, deciding to sit next to him at the very end of the couch, distracting him with his face.  The younger boy took a sip of what looked to be water before turning to Zayn with a large grin, “Zayn, Louis showed me your artwork down the street.  It was beautiful.”

Zayn looked confused for a moment before he must’ve realized what Harry was talking about.  After exchanging glances with Louis first, he gave a small smile, “Thank you, Harry.  It was fun to do.”

“And you almost got caught by the police for it too!”  Niall jumped in, returning with a large bowl of popcorn that he quickly passed around before hogging all to himself.  Not that anyone else really minded.

“Oh wait, are we talking about that graffiti the corner over…?”  Liam began, carrying in a case of beers that he also passed around.  Harry and Louis both declined as Liam turned to Zayn with his brows quirked. “You did that?”

When he received a head nod in response, Liam’s expression grew with admiration.  “Wow, Zayn… that’s so amazing!  I see that every day when I go to school and just… wow!  You’re really inspiring.”

And he seemed like he wanted to continue his complimenting before Zayn added in, “Louis helped...” as if not wanting to take the due credit that he was owed.  Louis knew he’d hardly contributed, even if he _had_ helped to pick out a few of the colors, but if his friend wanted to be shy and modest about receiving compliments then Louis would gladly be his excuse.

Liam turned his awed expression in Louis’ direction, but it was Niall who preemptively ended his probable would-be praise.  “Yep, good job Tommo.  Now everyone sit down so we can get this movie going!”

All five of them squeezed together on Liam’s tiny couch and for some reason it was oddly comforting and almost natural, as if they’d done it a dozen times before.  Louis could feel Zayn’s knuckles graze his shoulder where the other man sat with his arms slung over the back of the sofa, in between Niall and Liam.  And Liam, who was sitting next to Louis, in the middle of the couch, must’ve had something in his pocket because Louis could definitely feel something jutting into his thigh.  For some reason he didn’t seem to mind.

He was actually almost enjoying the tight fit as it meant that he could be very close to Harry, who was on his other side, without things being weird.  And he enjoyed it even more when the younger lad tentatively began to lean his head on Louis’ shoulder.

It was only when the opening credits began, and Louis remembered how to breathe like a _normal_ human being, that he also remembered Harry’s earlier admission of being exhausted.  He wondered just how long it would take the boy before he fell asleep in the darkened room.

When Louis trusted he could move without upsetting the younger man’s position, he quickly glanced down to find Harry’s eyes were closed.  Louis swallowed as he glanced back at the screen suddenly wondering if he was too close, if it was getting hot in the room, if Harry was comfortable where he was lying.

Louis could feel the younger boy’s solid weight pressed into his side, all warm skin and even movements of his chest as he breathed in and out.  He shifted his arm out from in between them to rest on the back of the couch, stilling when Harry immediately curled closer, mumbling unintelligible things into his shoulder. 

It didn’t take long before Louis was glancing down again, his heart’s rhythm beginning to rush as the lights of the television flickered and traced over Harry’s soft features.  Louis wanted to do the same.  He wanted to follow the smooth line of Harry’s cheekbones with his fingers, let them caress and explore the fair skin.  He wanted to count each and every one of those long lashes as Harry blinked up at him, wanted to press his thumbs into those endearing dimples before leaning in to brush their lips togeth—

Louis snapped his head away, feeling his cheeks burn with heat as he tried to recollect himself and cast the obviously very confused thoughts from his mind.  His limbs didn’t seem to have the same idea, though, as his arm lowered to drape over Harry’s shoulder, so that his fingers could lightly stroke the warming skin.

Louis was clearly a huge freak.  Yes, he’d cuddled similarly with both Niall and Zayn before, but with Harry it was different.  At least, maybe it was?  Maybe it wasn’t and Louis was just being massively weird.  Maybe he was taking advantage of Harry while Harry was asleep.  Was that what he was doing?  Oh God, he needed to get some air.

But he couldn’t, because Harry nuzzled his head closer at the presence of Louis’ arm, his hands momentarily pawing at Louis’ side as he adjusted to get more comfortable, a content little smile falling across his lips.  Which Louis needed to stop looking at.  He stared fixedly at the movie, trying to focus the entirety of his attention on it; which happened to be much easier said than done.

He continued being distracted by the soft exhales Harry would leave against his skin, that seemed to burn straight through his shirt and blister at his veins.  He almost wanted to move away, only to ease the odd and unsuitable thoughts and sensations from continuing, but he had to suffice with remaining where he was.

Louis squinted at the television screen, as if that could force him to pay attention.

Unable to do so, though, and trying his best to not notice all of the little movements Harry was making, and to _not_ creepily stare down at the younger man’s face, Louis pulled his phone out of his pocket in hopes that a game would be able to take his mind off of his lack of focus and, most importantly, the unbelievably pretty boy sleeping on top of him.

Louis had forgotten that he’d shut his phone off earlier that day and he quickly began to reboot it, _not_ noticing the way Harry’s unruly curls fell across his shoulder and the way the boy’s checkered headscarf tirelessly tried to keep them in line.

When his phone was on, it buzzed to life, alerts popping up to signal missed calls and text message upon text message.  When he saw that most of them were from his mom with the occasional from his dad and sisters he glanced at the time, before he almost had a heart attack.  “Shit!”  He shouted, alarming the other three as they turned to him to see what the problem was.

Harry’s voice was sleepy and even deeper than it usually was when he mumbled, “What…?”  He had bolted upright at Louis’ exclamation, but he still seemed a bit dazed where he blinked blearily back at him.

“Fuck, we’re late!  Like really late.”  Louis got up from the couch, feeling his leg’s ache from being in the same position for so long.  He didn’t even know what to do, or where to start, they were so late.

“What happened?”  Zayn asked, squinting up at him, trying to assess the situation.

“Our family engagement party started like two hours ago.”  Harry’s eyes widened almost comically at the news as he began to shuffle to a standing position and all Louis could hear, besides the whirring of his brain, was Niall bursting into laughter on the couch.  That distinct Irish accent sounding, ‘Haha, gave me a fuckin heart attack there!”, as Louis followed Harry’s lead and began scrambling around for his things: their tuxes, his shoes, that damned brain of his he must’ve left outside to have forgotten such an important appointment.

It wasn’t like the two of them had planned to be on-time anyways, but there was a huge difference between waging small battles against their mothers and being extremely rude to everyone else.  Both of the entireties of their families were supposed to be there.  Which made it even worse that the sole purpose of the party, the two of them, had yet to show up.

Louis must not have been the only one thinking so as he could hear Harry mumbling, “Our moms are going to kill us,” under his breath while he unartfully slipped his boots on before calling back to the couch, where the other three— scratch that two, as Niall didn’t count— were worriedly watching them scurry about, “Liam, can we borrow your car?  Please, please, please.”

It took a second for the request to process before, “Yah, yah, go ahead.  Keys in the kitchen.”  And Harry was scrambling to get them before he and Louis were out the door with a haphazard, “Thanks”, “We’ll be back”, and “Shut the fuck up Niall!” as the Irishman was still chuckling to himself.  The blond laughed again at the outburst.

Louis shook his own smile off his face as he followed after Harry towards Liam’s Mazda, jumping into the passenger’s seat and harping Harry to speed up his driving so they wouldn’t be any later.   The both of them were able to stop by their houses to throw on some nicer clothes before they were back in the car and heading towards the posh downtown hotel their families were already at.  Louis didn’t dare look down to read his texts or listen to his voicemail as both were chockfull of messages from his parents and siblings.  He was going to be in so much trouble.

Harry seemed even more stressed, the worry of their lateness almost erasing any benefits he might have gotten from his nap.  Louis was worried for him, but Harry just had to get through the rest of that night and his exam week, before things would hopefully relax for him.

When they made it to the hotel, the two of them practically flung themselves out of Liam’s car to not be any later than they already were.  They scurried, side by side, towards the ballroom reserved for their party and finally slowed when they were right outside the large doors.  Louis turned towards Harry, swooping his hair to the side quickly, hoping it didn’t look like an absolute mess.  “Ready?”  He asked feeling a bit winded from having run there.

Harry didn’t look much better off, though he gave a short nod before they were pushing the door open and stepping into the well-lit ballroom.  Louis recognized his aunts immediately, where they stood nearest the door, chatting with some unfamiliar faces, who were probably Harry’s family members, and there were waiters walking around with hors d’oeuvres and glasses of champagne. The soft music playing in the background was easily drowned out by the laughter and chatter floating about.

And when he saw his mom, and Harry’s mom walking towards them Louis prepared himself for the yelling of a lifetime.  And he was shocked when it didn’t come.  But he figured, most likely, their punishments would be delivered later.

At the moment, their mothers greeted them each with a kiss to the cheek before grabbing their arms and dragging them away, Harry with Jay and Louis with Anne to be introduced to the entirety of the other person’s family.

Louis was shocked when he realized that none of Harry’s extended family knew that their marriage had been arranged and he felt sort of weird about it.  They honestly thought Harry had fallen in love with him, and they treated Louis so kindly, like he was practically family already.

It was awful.  Louis felt like he was fooling them all.

But after he got a few glasses of champagne into him he felt much better, bantering with all of Harry’s grandparents and making his younger cousins laugh.  He actually found himself having a bit of fun, maybe even enjoying the festivities, not that he would ever admit to that out loud.  Unless it was to Harry, perhaps he’d tell Harry.

He glanced around the large hall for the other lad, suddenly wanting to see him.  And when he caught Harry’s eye from across the room, the younger boy seemed to be soaking up the love from Louis’ siblings, preening under the attention.

Louis couldn’t stop from the smile finding his lips at the sight.  He let Harry’s Grand Aunt pinch his cheek one last time before he made his way over to the younger man, sneaking up from behind him.  “Try the little shrimp-ies, they’re good.”

Harry turned to him after a moment, Felicite and Phoebe walking off when Harry shifted his attention.  His cheeks were slightly pink, either from the alcohol or from his sibling’s attempts at making him laugh, but he looked cute regardless where he was grinning back at the older lad.

Louis couldn’t stop himself from tucking a stray curl behind Harry’s ear as he tried coming up with something interesting to say.  He hadn’t really thought about conversation before he’d initially come over to Harry.  He’d just wanted to be near him.  “Is it weird that our friends are now ‘besties’ with each other…?”  He asked, grinning at the term Niall had used.

Harry smiled at the name as well before tilting his head in consideration, and then suddenly growing almost nervous he looked down towards his polished boots, fiddling with his hands, “Well… I mean… we’re sort of friends now… right?”  He only glanced up to catch Louis’ eyes at the end of his sentence, before returning them to study the cuff of his jacket.  “I mean, after this is all done with, we’re still going to want to hang out…?  And it’d definitely be more fun with all five of us… hanging together.  So I guess, not too weird?”  He gave Louis a timid smile, as if worried the older boy would say that they weren’t friends.  Which was absolutely ridiculous.

Louis twisted the glass in his hands before humming a thoughtful, “Yes I suppose that’s true… Harold.”  And he wasn’t sure he could wipe the small grin from his lips at Harry’s adorably hesitant expression.  “And of course I’m going to want to hang out with you.  We’re ‘besties’ now too.”

It was only a moment before Harry was also grinning happily, shifting forward to grab a piece of shrimp off of a passing tray.  His eyes lit with approval as he slipped it into his mouth, “Those _are_ delicious.”

Louis wanted to call the waitress back just so Harry could have as many of the tasty hors d’oeuvres as he could possibly ever want.

But when he turned to call after her, a blonde with bright green eyes and a charming smile was stood in front of him.  She looked exactly like Harry, with slightly more feminine features, and Louis didn’t have to be a geneticist to know that she was his sister.  He remembered seeing a photo of the two of them on Harry’s phone the second time they’d met and he was glad to know he had been right.

The woman was even more attractive in person though, and he found himself staring at her for a few long moments before his brain was kicking into action, “Oh, hi!” he uttered.  She grinned back at him, familiar dimples appearing in her cheeks as she replied with her own hello.

She moved to stand in front of the both of them, introducing herself as the self-proclaimed sister.  And, that if Harry hadn’t already told Louis before, her name was Gemma.  They said a few more cordial things to one another and it was nothing too out of the ordinary, but Harry continued to look anxious and a little worried with his sister’s presence there.

Louis figured out why when Gemma turned towards her brother with an, “I was hoping I could talk to Louis alone for a second.”

And Harry immediately went on the protective, “Gemma… you already know we’re not actually going to get married so you don’t need to give him the talk or whatever…”  He chuckled awkwardly, though he didn’t seem to think the idea was very funny at all.  He was shooting her a look that must’ve been trying to convey something, but she only simpered back before lightly tapping at his cheek, “I’m not going to give him ‘the talk’.”

Harry responded with a mistrustful glare and Louis found himself starting to worry about being alone with her; only because Harry seemed to be so against the idea.  Louis hadn’t originally thought Gemma was that intimidating, but he was beginning to change his mind.

“Harry, please.”  Gemma rolled her eyes at his skepticism. “It’s nothing bad.  And it’s literally going to be one second.”

Harry stared at her, lips pursed for a few minutes before, “Well, what am I supposed to do in the mean time?”

She glanced around, mimicking his expression before beaming when her gaze stalled at the provided bar on the opposite side of the room. “Go get yourself another drink,” she artfully advised.

Harry followed her gaze towards the area his cousins had gathered around and, after a few long minutes, as if he was hoping he could stall long enough that she would leave, he huffed out a small, “Okay…” before a millisecond later, to Louis, “But if she starts threatening you--”

“I won’t!”  Gemma laughed before pushing her brother in the correct direction.  “It’s fine Harry, really,” she remarked reassuringly, giving a fond smile at his concern.  That must’ve comforted him just enough to convince him to finally begin slowly stalking away, though he made sure to continually turn back around to squint at them in suspicion.  Louis hoped he wouldn’t trip or run into one of the wait staff as he did so.

Gemma’s affectionate tone brought Louis’ attention back to her, where she was staring after the younger man with a shake of her head. “He’s such a worry wart sometimes…” she mumbled before turning to Louis with a satisfied smirk.  “He probably doesn’t want me scaring you off.”

Louis found himself responding without a thought. “I don’t think anything could scare me enough to stay away from him…”  Before he was immediately hesitating when he saw the even stare Gemma was giving him.

“You really like my brother don’t you?”  She asked and Louis blinked back.

“Umm, I mean, we’re friends…”  He coughed, a bit awkwardly, fiddling with his champagne glass and glancing down to watch the crystal bubbles dance around inside.  “He’s a good kid…”  He added on, clearing his throat and suddenly feeling a lot more nervous in Gemma’s presence.  He really shouldn’t have been feeling anxious in front of his _friend’s_ sister; it wasn’t like he needed to win her approval or anything.

She gave him a sly smile when he glanced back up, but it quickly fell away to a more serious expression.  “Take care of him okay.  I know you aren’t planning on it ‘going anywhere’, but… just promise me that anyways, yah?”

“Of course...  What are friends for, right?”  He responded immediately, only partially stumbling over his words.

She nodded her head, “Exactly.” And after a moment where Louis glanced over to see Harry still at the bar, Gemma continued, “Now, what is this I hear about you two deciding the wedding flower should be a Venus flytrap?  You do know those things are absolutely horrifying right?”  She had a grin on her lips when he turned back to her and it reminded Louis so much of Harry’s that he quickly found himself returning it.

“Yeah, actually we were thinking instead of releasing doves we’d unleash a bunch of flies and watch the plants eat them…  I think the guests will really like how ‘unique’ our wedding is.”

Gemma laughed, nodding her head.  “Sounds like a great idea.  And I’m guessing Harry told you our mom hate’s Venus Flytraps?”

“What?  No!  Where could you have gotten that idea…?” Louis replied, scratching lightly at the stubble on his cheek, large smile pulling at his lips.  “We just really want our wedding to be… unforgettable.”

“Unforgettable,” She laughed again, “that it definitely will be...”

And Louis felt pretty good then.  It wasn’t that he _wanted_ Harry’s sister’s approval, per se, but if he were to get it, he wouldn’t complain.

“What are we talking about?”  Harry suddenly asked as he closed in on them, still suspicious as he stepped up beside Louis, in case the older man needed defending of any kind.  Louis thought it was quite a sweet gesture.

“Just talking about your wedding, nut head.  No need to get up in arms.”  Gemma snickered, taking another sip of her glass.

Harry squinted at her until his eyes were practically closed, mumbling “…Sure…”  She grinned back at him before deciding to go torment their cousin instead and, with a smile to Louis and a pat on his forearm, she left.

The two of them watched her leave, before Louis was turning towards Harry with a mischievous grin.  When Harry noticed his look, he furrowed his brows.

“So are you going to tell me?”  Louis probed, in response to the younger lad’s unasked question.

Harry continued to look at him like he was attempting to dissect his brains; or figure out what he had meant.  It was actually mildly unnerving.  “What?”  He finally asked after way too many seconds.

Louis grinned back at him, “There has to be a story behind why you don’t want your sister talking to your boyf—” _Not_ boyfriend, just friend. “Your guy friends…”  Louis quickly corrected.

“Well back in fifth grade…”  Louis let out an abrupt laugh and Harry turned to eye him, with a small smile, “What?!”

Louis shook his head at his outburst.  Maybe he had had a bit too much to drink.  “That is so long ago!  I didn’t peg you for a grudge holder…”

Harry tried to quiet his smile.  “Yah well, it was really embarrassing.  You would have done the same if you were in my position.”

Louis nodded to Harry’s words; he probably would have. He poked at the younger boy’s side just because he wanted to, enjoying the pretty grin he received in response.  “Well, go on.”

Harry shrugged.  “It’s nothing really.  Gemma just scared off my first ‘sort of’ boyfriend by asking him too many questions and just being generally… annoying.”  Louis could tell he didn’t want to go into too much detail, as it seemed to be dredging up embarrassing memories for him, so he didn’t push the topic.

“That’s too bad…”  He murmured back.  He didn’t feel too bad though, because Harry was no longer with his ‘sort of’ boyfriend from fifth grade, and Louis didn’t need to be jealous.  Not that he would ever admit that he might have been just a tiny, little bit envious that the other boy had actually been able to date Harry.  Not that he wanted to…date Harry himself…. or anything.

But that was beside the point.

Harry was single and that meant he could marry Louis.

Except for the _gigantic_ fact that they weren’t actually going to be getting married…  Louis really needed to sort himself and his strange, unnecessary thoughts out.  Immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all! And I hope everyone has a great weekend! <3


	8. Chapter 8

“You’re so jealous!”  Niall’s loud voice called through the speakers of Louis’ computer.  The blond was up and dancing around his messy room, laughing at the camera.  Louis assumed it was because he knew he couldn’t be strangled for doing so.

“Fuck that, no I’m not.”  Was Louis’ immediate response as he brushed imaginary dust from shirt sleeve, trying to seem uninterested in Niall’s amusement.  Maybe then the other lad would stop being a twat.

“You are!  Isn’t he Zaynie?”  Niall grew louder as he stuck his face into the camera lens; it was almost as if he’d never used one before, though that clearly wasn’t true as the three of them often skyped when they couldn’t physically get together.

It took Zayn a few seconds to glance up at his own laptop, from the floor, where he was painting something on his bedroom wall a few paces away.  He smirked at the camera as if purposefully trying to taunt Louis. “Niall, we really shouldn’t tease Lou while he’s being grounded…  He gets particularly grumpy at times like these.”

“I wasn’t _grounded_.”  He responded with an accentuated roll of his eyes, flicking off the two boys on his monitor.  He adjusted the screen so they could get a full view of his finger.  “I’m just not allowed to hang out with you guys’ for the rest of the month.”  He turned back to the Irish lad on his screen, making sure to give him his best glare.  “And no, Niall.  I am _not_ jealous that Harry is on a ‘date’ right now.  It’s not even a date anyways.”

Niall pursed his lips, finally seating himself in his computer chair like a _normal_ human being.  “Well Liam said he was going out with Aiden so—”

“That does not mean it’s a date.”  Louis immediately responded.  He did not need a reminding that Harry had a crush on _Aiden_ , the asshole who had flirted with him at the bar weeks before.  He stuck his nose up, “And why the hell would I care anyways?”

“He _is_ your fiancé…”  Zayn hummed over the line, not even turning to look as he picked out another can of spray paint.

“He is no such thing.”  Louis made sure to sound especially offended by the accusation.

“Right…”  Niall replied, wiggling his nose at the camera and getting really close to check if he had anything in it.  He was disgusting.

“We’re _just_ friends.  Please, you guys know that.”  Louis responded, almost pleading with the two.

Zayn responded again, with an equally skeptical, “Right…”

Louis glared a bit more dramatically at the screen, ignoring Niall’s nostrils.  “I hate both of you.”  He sniffled, scratching lightly at his cheek with his middle finger still outstretched.  Both just laughed and it wasn’t long before Niall had to go to work and Zayn had to help Liam with some research paper he was doing for his summer graduate program, or something.  Louis didn’t ask for more details; school work was gross.

And even though it was currently _summer_ , Liam and Harry still continued to be good students.  Louis wondered if hanging out with them more would cause some of their dedication to rub off on him.  He wouldn’t have minded if Harry just did the honors himself though.

Louis ignored that thought in favor of playing a game on his phone.  Until it started buzzing, effectively ruining the round of Angry Birds he’d been on.  He could see Harry’s name pop up on the screen, along with the contact picture of him sticking his tongue out at the camera.  Louis tried to not focus on that appendage as he got back to what was really important; like the fact his phone was still vibrating in his palm.

It wasn’t like it was weird getting a text from Harry, as the two of them had found they quite enjoyed texting back and forth and having the most idiotically random conversations.  What was weird was being _called_ by Harry.

After another moment staring at Harry’s tongue in contemplation Louis picked up, holding the cell close to his ear.  “…Umm, hello?”

There was a pause before Harry’s deep drawl filtered through the earpiece and it took Louis a moment to actually focus on what he was saying and not just sit unblinking at the strange phenomena of hearing Harry (and his silky soft tone— err, voice) through his mobile. “Hey, umm, this is Harry… Uh, can you come pick me up from somewhere… please?  I tried Liam already and he was busy…”  There was an awkward moment where Harry trailed off.

Before Louis responded, “Uh, yah… of course, I can do that...”  A few moments of static silence passed before Louis’ brain came back to him, “Where are you?”  He also finally put himself into motion, grabbing his keys and wallet from where they sat on his desk, quickly pacing out towards his car.  He listened carefully to the address Harry gave him before he was on the road, following his GPS’s instructions and ending up parked outside a shoddy looking bar.  He wasn’t sure if he was at the right place and was about to call Harry back when the boy came out looking rather upset, making his way towards his car.  He may have slammed the door behind him a bit too hard, but Louis wasn’t going to bring it up.

And before he could even get a word in, Harry exploded, throwing his arms out huffily, his cheeks tinting a heated red, “She treats me like a child!”

Louis paused a moment, trying to figure out who he was referring to.  When his useless brain couldn’t come up with anyone in the first few seconds that it tried, he asked.  “Who?”

Harry frowned further, grumbling, “My mom.  She took away my freaking car ‘privileges’ because of our ‘behavior’ last week when we were late to the engagement party.  It’s not like we meant to be…”  His lips curved into a precious pout as he finished and Louis really should’ve been sympathizing, but Harry was much too cute at the moment for his mind to form such thoughts.

After another short second, Louis responded to Harry’s first statement with a pensive, “Well we kinda are acting like them..."  Harry gave him a momentarily confused look, buckling up before Louis could try clarifying. “We’re kind of acting like children.  You know, by refusing to do what our mom’s want us to, to the extent that we are...  I never really grew out of my rebellious teenage years though so my mom’s pretty used to it.”  He looked over to Harry’s pursed expression, before continuing, “Yours, probably not so much.” 

Louis took the next few quiet moments to pull out of their parking spot.  He started driving from the bar with no specific destination in mind as Harry slowly lost his steam, mulling over Louis’ words.

“Yah I guess I never really had that... rebellious teenage years…” He mumbled finally.

Louis nodded before another question quickly formed in his head.  “So wait, if your mom took away your car how did you get to the bar in the first place?”

“Aiden picked me up…”  He mumbled and, right, Harry had been on a ‘date’.  He wondered where Aiden was then.  And why Harry looked so sullen about it.  “And I wasn’t even that mad at my mom about the whole car thing.  Not really anyways... until Aiden—”

He stopped himself, giving Louis a sideways glance as if deciding whether to continue or not.  He probably thought Louis didn’t want to know.  Which couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

Louis _needed_ to know why Harry was looking so agitated and glum.

“Until he...?” Louis prodded, keeping his gaze to the road so Harry wouldn’t feel too pressured to continue if he really didn’t want to.  Which was surprising as Louis was usually a nosy little bugger.

“Aiden… wanted to go out with me, I guess…  And I hadn’t seen him since like, last month; coincidentally the same day you met him and I was excited but it was just sort of weird...  It was still nice when he held my hand and all, but then he flirted with our waitress and then again to the bartender right in front of me.  I was just surprised, I guess.  Not because he’d never done it before, but I had thought, I don’t know, that it was supposed to be a date or something… and that he’d stopped doing stuff like that.”

Harry took a deep breath, continuing, “I just feel so stupid.  I thought he...wanted to be with me too… I dunno." He reached up to fiddle with his necklace; his engagement ring still dangling from the long chain.  "I mean we weren't ever exclusive, but I just thought... I was special or something.”  He looked down towards his shoes and Louis wanted to immediately stop the car, to reach over and tilt Harry’s chin up, tell him he was the most special, the most _wonderful_ person Louis knew.

But even if he did deny Harry’s words, to tell him that he was, it wouldn’t have meant anything, because what Harry wanted to hear was Aiden telling him that.  Not his ‘fiancée’ turned friend.

Louis had never been very good at listening to logic though, so he decided to tell Harry the truth anyways.  “Haz, you are special…  You’re extraordinary and, honestly, one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met…”  And he gave Harry a tentative smile when the younger turned to look back towards him.

Before the lad returned with his own small grin and an even, “Thanks Lou…”

He wasn’t sure if Harry believed him in the moment, still upset about Aiden, but Louis did think Harry was extraordinary.  And he knew Aiden was, besides an asshole, an idiot for not wanting to be with him, because Harry was brilliant and kind and ridiculous and sweet, and anyone who couldn’t see that had serious issues.

The younger man was back to frowning after a moment, mouth pulled into a small pout as he tugged absentmindedly at his curls, looking out the window.  And Louis found it had almost been easier for him when Harry had been angry because the reserved quiet he was being then was picking Louis’ brain apart.

An idea immediately sparked in Louis’ mind and he changed the car’s direction, now with a destination in mind.  The two of them stayed quiet the rest of the short trip until Louis was pulling up to a small, crowded ice cream place, parking in one of the few empty spots.

He got out before any questions could be asked— as it took Harry a few long moments to realize where they were and why they’d stopped— and he eagerly walked towards one of the windows, knowing the younger man would soon be right behind him.

“Lou… what’re you doing?”  And he sounded more exhausted than curious or annoyed as the lady behind the counter asked Louis for their order.

He turned to give Harry a quick once-over, assessing the younger’s scuffed up boots and the tight black pants resting low on his slender hips.  His eyes traveled up to the loose top brushing over Harry’s collarbones and doing an excellent job at revealing those black-inked swallows on his chest.  “You’re a bit quirky.”  He quipped in response, glancing up to Harry’s questioning gaze, before turning back towards the worker.  “He’ll take a… pistachio cone and, uh,” Louis eyed the menu above them, “I’ll have a strawberry swirl, in a cone as well, please.”

Harry stayed silent as the older lad paid and handed him his dessert.  “What is this for?”  He asked quietly, taking a lick of the green cream, following Louis towards a picnic table to the left of the parking lot.

“Ice cream is perfection.”  Louis responded taking a small bite of his own before sitting on the table and stretching his head up, to feel the sun warm his lips.  “And it has always helped my sisters get over a broken heart.  When they’ve had it...”

Harry sat down on the picnic bench in front of Louis and it was silent for a beat as the older lad took another swipe of the ice cream with his tongue.  The taste was bordering on being _too_ sweet, but it was okay overall, besides the fact he quickly found it dripping down the cookie and onto his hand.  He grimaced before sucking at the mess and listening when Harry finally spoke up, seemingly perplexed.  “You’ve really never been heartbroken?”

“Nope.”  He responded confidently, glancing over to see Harry struggling with the same melting problem, though he let it drip onto the table instead of stopping it.  “I don’t date for just that reason.  It sort of goes with the territory.”

Harry looked up at him then, those green eyes probing.   “You’ve never wanted to be with someone before?”

“Never.”  Louis breathed back easily.  Harry stared at him a few moments more, studying his expression, as if trying to find any cracks in his facade; any signs of a lie.  Louis was glad when Harry didn’t seem to be conclusive in his search because if he had, he’d certainly question Louis further and Louis really didn’t want to discuss his feelings.  It would make him wonder whether his body’s weird reactions towards Harry, like the quickened beating of his heart and the odd sensation in his gut, actually meant something, or if he was just imagining the inane happiness he’d get whenever the younger was near.  He hoped for the latter.

Louis offered his cone out towards the other man, “Wanna try some of mine?”  And after a few moments of hesitation on Harry’s part, Louis watched the way he licked at the dessert, the smooth tip of his tongue coming out to gently prod and slowly swipe up the side of the cream, and _wow_.

“Maybe it’s a good think you aren’t with Aiden anymore.”  Louis spoke aloud, before immediately realizing he had not meant to say that to Harry’s face, as it probably made him sound extremely insensitive.  But he continued anyways, “He seemed sort of like a prick when I met him…”  Except there was no ‘sort of’; Aiden had been a _massive_ prick.

“Yah, he has a way with people…”  Harry responded after a few seconds.

Louis immediately pulled an apologetic expression, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that…”  He looked down at Harry, watching the way the sun glinted prettily off of his curls, and then his eyelashes, before the younger man was opening his mouth again, drawing Louis’ attention to it as he spoke slower than he normally did, “No, it’s okay.  It’s sort of true so…”  He paused a moment, “And thinking about it, I’m not sure if I actually liked him for his personality so much as I liked the way he made me feel… special.  Or something…”

Louis felt a twinge in his gut, jealousy perhaps, but he found himself quickly ignoring it, asking his next question instead, though he really didn’t want to know any more about Harry’s feelings for Aiden than he already did.  “What’d he do that made you feel so special…?”

Harry bit down on his lower lip, thinking over it.  Before, “Held my hand, kissed me, made me laugh…”  Louis felt that twinge again, noticing those were all things he had done with Harry too.  He wondered if Harry had ever thought about the two of them like that, before.  “I don’t know, stupid stuff…”  Harry continued, mumbling, slackening his posture to lean his elbows on his knees.  It couldn’t have been good for his back.  But Louis’ thought was quickly cut off by, “Apparently I’m easily satisfied.”

He instantly shook his head. “Hey, no, that’s not true.  If I had a crush on someone they wouldn’t have to do much to make me feel happy.”  He nudged his knee against Harry’s shoulder trying to get him to smile again.

Harry just replied with, “You’ve never had a crush,” instead.

Louis maybe regretted having said that earlier.  He shrugged, “True…”

He couldn’t help but think that he was slowly figuring out what it felt like though.

Harry gave him an unreadable look, but didn’t question him further.

Louis spoke in his place.  “Alright… let’s get you home before my mom finds out I’ve been seeing my friends.”  He shook his addled mind, before muttering, “I’ve been grounded too…” taking a massive bite of the freaking _cold_ ice cream.  He’d forgotten how frigid it was and his teeth were suddenly in pain from the chill.  He opened his mouth to melt the dessert quicker; making, what he could only assume, was quite an unattractive expression; one that had Harry scrunching his own face up into a bright laugh, as he took a more reasonable bite of his own dessert.

But even with his smaller bites, Harry still managed to get some all over his lips, and when he licked it up there was still a bit of the shiny cream a few centimeters from the corner of his mouth.  He looked absolutely endearing, but Louis figured he’d tell him about the smudge anyways.

Louis grinned, pointing to his own cheek, mirroring where Harry’s dessert was. “You’ve got a bit of ice cream on your face, Messy.”

Harry tried licking all around his mouth again, still not managing to get it but definitely managing to slick up his cherry lips to look ten times more obscene than they already were.  Louis tried to not stare at Harry’s mouth as it formed the words, “Get it for me…?”

He glanced towards Harry’s eyes at the question before he was looking back down at where the pink ice cream was still working its way onto his fingers. “My hands are sticky…?”  He asked, though it really shouldn’t have been a question.

There was a short pause before Harry’s voice came back to him, softly hinting, “I don’t care how you get it off...”  Louis’ brows lifted before furrowing as he tried to read Harry’s expression.  By the way he’d said his last statement it sounded as if he almost wanted Louis to… lick it off…

He momentarily wondered whether it would have been inappropriate, given the situation… but Harry clearly had stated that he didn’t care how Louis got it off.  And he was now smiling that cheeky, if slightly subdued, grin.  It only took Louis a few more seconds before he was thinking ‘Fuck it’.  Friends did stuff like that with each other.  He’d gotten many cheek kisses from Zayn and Niall over the years, it wasn’t abnormal behavior.

He slowly leaned forward, hovering above the dip in Harry’s cheek for a moment before pressing his mouth to the soft skin, licking at the spot near his lips with a tiny stroke of his tongue.  He kissed at the spot immediately after he’d gotten the cream off, to take the tiny bit of spit he’d left behind with him. He could feel a shaky breath warm his ear as he slowly backed away from Harry’s mouth, exhaling his own quiet, “Got it…”

When he caught Harry’s eyes again, the younger was giving him a small, almost timid smile, humming out an even, “Thanks…” before he was back to eating his ice cream, being more careful to not get it on his face again.

Louis wondered if it would’ve been unfitting for him to get some of the dessert all over his own lips, so Harry could lick it off for him.  It really only would’ve been fair...

But he decided against it, doing his best to finish his strawberry swirled cream before it dripped all over his tank top and shorts; trying to not consider why Harry might have wanted him to be near his face in the first place.

It was only a few minutes after they stood, brushing their trousers with sticky fingers and doing a fairly bad job at cleaning themselves off, that they tossed the remainder of their cones to get into Louis’ car. 

Louis was glad when Harry continued to give him little smiles on the trip back to his house, as he hoped it meant the younger lad wasn’t as upset as he’d been before.

But he was also especially, selfishly, glad that Harry was no longer going to be associating with the likes of Aiden too.  Because, even if it was true Louis had been slightly jealous of the asshole and the attention Harry bestowed upon him, it was also accurate that Aiden was a dick who didn’t deserve to have Harry in his life.

Louis breathed out a heavy sigh as he parked and watched the younger lad return to his house.  He was starting to wonder if he could no longer say he’d never wanted to be with anyone before.  Because the thoughts running around his head and the feelings Harry seemed to create within him indicated much the opposite.  And he really wasn’t sure he liked that fact at all.


	9. Chapter 9

Another week had passed working at his father’s firm—as his summer occupation—and trying to irritate his mom to bits—which he hoped was working—, and even though Louis had seen Harry earlier that week, it had still been much too long since he had last been able to make the younger man laugh.  Louis was at an impasse though, on whether he was happy to be seeing him or not, because seeing Harry meant going to their third marriage preparation class; and consequently sitting through another dumb lecture on love.

He still wasn’t fully convinced that love _wasn’t_ a figment of one’s imagination, but he was slowly beginning to change his mind...  something about Harry seemed to be convincing him otherwise.

Which was unimportant...  What _was_ important was that there would only be one more class after that evenings lecture ended, indicating that their wedding day was approaching sooner than he’d expected.  They still had a month and a half left until the ringing of the wedding bells, but Louis knew that that time would fly by in the blink of an eye. 

He was broken from his reverie by the clatter of a seatbelt being unbuckled, before he was glancing over at Harry, considering.  He really, really didn’t want to go to their lecture.  Especially because then he’d have to share Harry’s attention with the presenter, and well, Louis was feeling a bit too selfish for that at the moment.  He eyed the younger lad where he was fixing his shirt, by unbuttoning it to an even lower, more indecent level, before he was breathing out, “Wanna skip lecture today?”

Harry glanced up from where he’d been fiddling, blinking back.  “But we were supposed to learn how to keep our ‘sex life strong’…” he responded, a teasing smirk slowly appearing on his stupid face.  Louis gave his own amused grin.

“Well, unfortunately there’d be nothing to learn, Harold; I already know our sex life would be _extremely_ ‘strong’.”  Louis tried not to let his dirty mind dawdle on the statement; or imagine what it actually would have been like to have sex with Harry, God forbid.  That would definitely have been an unsuitable thing to do to his _friend_.

“How so?”  Harry asked, obviously wanting to prolong the conversation, putting on a faux-serious expression as he waited for Louis’ response.  Clearly he wasn’t going to help Louis’ resolve of not thinking about them naked, together.  The younger man had his eyes squinted, a  little crinkle forming  in between his brows as he leaned towards Louis in the car, as if extremely interested in what he had to say.

Louis paused a moment, trying to come up with a mildly sensible response in the short span of time.  He also tried, extremely hard, to not let his mind run rampant with thoughts of the alleged sex he and Harry would be having.  He blamed his vivid imagination on the fact that he hadn’t gotten laid in a really long time.  He was clearly just deprived.  That was why.  Not because it was Harry he was thinking about or anything…

He turned to the younger lad after a beat, with a thoughtful, “I guess you’ll just have to wait until we’re married to find out.”  Louis knew it was a cop-out response.  They weren’t actually going to get married, which meant they weren’t actually ever going have sex.

“Until we’re married?!  But that’s like a month and a half from now!”  Harry teased, clearly amused.  Louis was not endeared.

He cleared his throat, pausing a moment.  “Yes, and I can guarantee we will have lots of honeymoon sex and it will be… umm, unbelievably amazing.”

Harry breathed out a laugh, a faint blush on the apples of his cheeks.  “I shouldn’t have even asked...”   He snickered again, shaking his curly head and Louis was almost positive his heart was shutting down from the sheer magnificence of Harry’s glee.  He was absolutely certain that the younger man’s giggles were going to kill him.

“So is that a yes?”  He asked, swallowing down the sudden itch in his throat as he watched the younger lad’s bright snickers turn into softer, more adorable little puffs of breath.  Louis most definitely had to have been dying.  Especially if the thought of wanting to watch Harry laugh for forever was _actually_ flitting around in his head.

He shifted his gaze away from Harry’s grin and towards the hand he had resting on the back of his seat, restlessly fidgeting with his car keys.

“I’d love to skip class with you.”  Harry finally responded giving Louis that soft smile that made his pulse falter once again.  He really had to get a grip.

He gave Harry a tight lipped smile before nodding and stepping out of the car.  The fresh air did him wonders as he was no longer enveloped in Harry’s sweet scent or surrounded by his magnetic charm.  There was at least a good five feet between them then and Louis couldn’t have been more indifferent about it.  A part of him knew that he would stop reacting so strangely to Harry if he were to keep their distance, but another, bigger, part of him wanted to immediately close the space and be as near to the other lad as he possibly could be.

Louis needed to sort himself out.

He decided to focus on their surroundings instead of the other lad himself.  And it seemed to work as he eyed the small shops lining the quaint little street they were on. 

He remembered the first time the two of them had been there that he’d thought Harry would have loved exploring the numerous stores.  And Louis wasn’t wrong as the younger lad began to gush immediately upon entering a clothing shop that looked like it was full to the brim with hipster apparel.

They stuck close to the front section of the store, even though Louis tried to convince Harry that he was okay with the younger man going to the back to try clothes on, but Harry insisted they take pictures of themselves in the numerous assortments of hats and scarfs that they found instead.  The more ridiculous they looked, the better and Louis didn’t think it was weird that he wanted to keep the photos of Harry looking as adorable and unreasonably attractive as he always was to himself.  He hoped it wasn’t weird that he wanted to at least…

And in the following few shops they visited, the two of them ran around like children, trying on different weird outfits left and right, playing with all of the random knickknacks they could see.  The only reason they didn’t stop being reckless and loud and annoying was because the owners didn’t seem to care; most of them seemingly too stoned to have even noticed in the first place.

When they entered the next shop on the road, Louis was in delight when he saw that it was a pet store.  The numerous puppies and dogs barked happily when the jingle of the bell above the door signaled their greeting and little kitties and cats meowed and purred at their entrance.

Harry was immediately enraptured with the animals as he fussed at them from where they were in their boxes.

He turned to Louis with bright eyes when they stopped in front of the feline section.  “Do you think our apartment allows pets?  Because we should definitely get some kitties if we can!”  It took only two seconds before his grin was falling dramatically fast and he was glumly turning back towards the cages.  “Sorry…  We’re not actually… moving in together…”  He sounded embarrassed like he was worried Louis would’ve been irritated with his slip up.  But Louis found he was much the opposite, his mind immediately wondering what it would’ve been like if he really did move in with Harry and they owned a few fluffy cats together.  The thought made his pulse race.

“No, it’s fine…”  He found himself saying after a few beats too long.  “If we _were_ moving in together, then we could definitely get some cats…”  And another moment passed, before, “Which ones would you want, Hazza?”

Louis loved the small smile working its way onto Harry’s lips, those delicate dimples appearing in his cheeks as he glanced back towards the cages.  “Umm, we’d get that kitty… and that one.”

And though the one’s Harry had pointed to weren’t kitties, they were nonetheless just as cute, the larger black haired one wiggling its nose up at them and the plump white feline meowing playfully.  They were absolutely precious and Louis could hear Harry clucking under his breath at them.

They weren’t the only things Louis thought were precious as he turned to silently watch the younger man crouch down to get closer to the two.

“And what would we name them?”  He asked after a moment.

Harry twisted his mouth in thought, tapping his chin for good measure as he studied the rambunctious felines.  “…Salt and Pepper.”

Louis snorted, “That’s original.”

And Harry was grinning as he tried to act offended by Louis’ words.  “Hey, it is!  What would _you_ name them then?”

Louis gave the cats another glance before turning back to Harry’s ‘I’m waiting’ face.  He pointed at the black fuzz-ball first, “That one would be Pen and,” he trailed his finger to the other, “that one would be Guin.”

Harry lifted his eyebrows at him, unimpressed.  “Pen-Guin?  Really?”

Louis waited for Harry’s face to break out into another smile before he shrugged and gave in, “Salt and Pepper are nice though.  We can name them _whatever_ you want, Haz.”

The younger lad stood up again, eyeing the pair.  “Hmm, maybe Pen and Salt?”  He had apparently arrived at a compromise that he liked if the ecstatic grin on his face was anything to go by.  He must’ve been so proud of himself.

“Sure, love.”  Louis replied, except he sounded a lot fonder than he’d meant to, his eyes crinkling in the corners and his lips upturning into a gentle smile.  Harry returned him an easy grin as they slowly made their way towards the exit of the charmingly cute pet shop.

Louis almost felt sad that they _weren’t_ adopting the cats.  But he supposed, not getting married was what Harry and he had wanted from the start.

They gradually made their way into the next store, quickly perking up again as they laid eyes on the seemingly random collection of items in front of them.  There were bits of furniture strewn around, some paintings hung up on the walls, and lots of odd souvenirs and widgets lying about.  The two of them immediately busied themselves with ogling the items.

And when they’d well and fully immersed themselves in the quirks of the shop, Louis turned towards Harry, taking off the cowboy hat he’d been wearing to place atop the younger’s curly head.  “And what would you get for our apartment at this shop, Styles?” he questioned.  Because even if they _weren’t_ going to be moving in together, since they _weren’t_ going to be getting married, pretending they were was absolutely harmless...

Louis liked to pretend.

Like how he pretended that Harry’s face wasn’t giving him heartburn.

The other lad grinned, keeping the silly straw hat on his head as he perused the store quickly with his eyes until he was toddling over towards a wall with different kinds of artwork littering its side.  “Ok, definitely these paintings.”  He pointed specific ones out with a smile and then turned around to pick up some cushions that were rested on a couch behind him, “And… these pillows.”

Louis lifted an eyebrow at the seemingly random selection.  “Why those pillows?”  He asked, coming closer to pick up the other one Harry hadn’t.  And maybe so he could continue to be near the other lad.  It was whatever, honestly.

With a cute little hmm, the younger man responded, “’Coz they’re really colorful.  And comfy!”

“Yes, I do see your point…”  Louis agreed, puffing up the pillow in his palms.  Harry nodded, the vigor at which he did so knocking the slightly too large hat over his eyes and blocking his vision.  Louis let out a fleeting chuckle before slowly tipping it back so he could be see those soft, sparkling eyes again.  “Let me put this back…”  He hummed quietly, removing it completely to tangle his fingers through those unruly curls, to fluff them back up.

When he pulled away to return the item to the spot he’d gotten it from he found Harry on the opposite side of the store, sifting through piles of papers, or, what he recognized to be books as he got closer.

“Lou, look, they have all of these superhero comics here too!  We’d have to buy every single one.”

“Every single one…?”  Louis chuckled, skimming through the stacks himself.  He was going to have to bring Zayn there another time.

“You like comic books, don’t you?”  Harry asked after a moment.  Louis turned to him before slowly nodding, surprised the younger lad seemed to have remembered such an insignificant detail.  Harry’s face lit up again, “Then yes, all of them!  Maybe we can start our own collection or something...”

“Maybe…”  Louis responded, watching as Harry continued examining the contents of the stacks.

He bit down on his bottom lip after a moment, thinking that it had probably been a bad idea to ask Harry to tell him what it would’ve been like if they lived together.  Because Louis was finding that he liked the prospect of doing so a bit too much.  He put down the book in his hands, asking quietly, “Wanna go to the next shop?”

Harry turned to him with bright eyes and a warm smile, nodding before they were on their way to the next store over, Harry hastily monopolizing his attention again as the younger man practically fainted when they entered.  It was a record shop with musty shelves and darkened aisles and Harry practically swooned every time they walked down a different row.

 “We’d have to buy CDs…”  Louis hummed, picking up a few of the cases to inspect their cover photos.

He was surprised Harry’s face wasn’t going to break as the younger boy beamed at him. “And a large stereo so we can play music throughout the entire apartment,” he added, dragging Louis along further down the crowded, stuffed up walkways.

Louis had to make sure he didn’t trip over any stacks lying on the floor and it really didn’t help that it was so dark in the room; hardly any light showing through the storefront windows.

The sun had already begun to set and only a few hues of cotton-candy pink, with shades of darkening purple, filtered through the glass.  And when Louis was finally able to drag Harry out of the little store, the clouds had almost completely disappeared.

He was surprised by how long the two of them had been out together, doing absolutely nothing but being dumb in each other’s presence, and it had been the most fun Louis had had in a while.

They decided to stop at one last flowery smelling store on their way to dinner and Louis was amazed to see tons of bottles and lotions lining the walls, an assortment of oils and other incenses piled high along the shelves.  He immediately picked up a plum colored, chalky looking ball sitting in a basket near the door.

“Bath bombs?”  He asked, in regards to the apartment Harry and he were pretending they’d have.

“Yes we would have to get those!”  Was his reply as Harry sniffed at some of the sample lotions he was rubbing all over his arms and hands.

Louis tried to not look too interested in what Harry was doing as he picked up another bottle, to read the label.  “And bubble bath soap?”

“ _And_ scented candles.”  Harry beamed back.

“You’re such a dork.”  Louis replied before Harry piped up with “a _romantic_ , actually”.  And Louis wasn’t in disagreement with that statement because it was true.  Harry _was_ a romantic and it didn’t even faze him that he would’ve avoided anyone labeled as such like the plague just a few months prior.

He helped the younger man pick out a few of the lotions and bath bombs for their sisters and moms, and Harry couldn’t have looked happier

And after stopping by the car to put the bag of ‘goodies’, as Harry liked to claim they were, inside, the two men made their way back to a pizza parlor they had passed by on their way through the shops.

It was warm in the joint and the smell of fresh baked breads and melted cheese had Louis’ stomach grumbling.  He hadn’t quite realized how hungry he’d been with Harry monopolizing his every thought, but he was glad they were going to be eating soon.  The two of them ordered two large slices each and medium sized drinks, sitting at one of the small, relatively clean tables in the corner.

And once they’d started munching on their gooey slices they began to play a game in between each bite they took.

It was Harry’s turn again after a few rounds and he scrunched his nose in contemplation for a solid few moments before mumbling, “…I think the term ‘spouse’ is underrated.  Agree or disagree?”

Louis took another sip of his soda, wiping greasy hands on his napkin.   “It’s a good point you bring up, Styles...” And after another short pause as he thought over his response, “I agree.”

He took another bite, “Does that mean you want to be referred to as one’s ‘spouse’ when you get married?”

“It does.”  Harry grinned, folding his second slice of pizza to keep its toppings from falling off as he neared it towards his mouth.  He stopped it right before reaching, adding, “Husband’s fine too, but spouse… spouse doesn’t get enough attention.”

Louis snorted, “You’re outrageous…”  And he waited for Harry to finish his chewing before, “Alright, let’s see…  Agree or disagree, pizza is the most versatile food as it can be served for dinner, breakfast, or lunch.”

Harry happily took another bite of said pizza.  “Well, I _am_ quite partial to it so...  I’ll agree with you.” Louis smiled in triumph as Harry continued, “Clothing is overrated.”

And his smile only grew at Harry’s statement as he let out a short laugh, “Really?  You don’t like wearing clothes?”  He actually wasn’t all that surprised.

Harry grinned back.  “I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to.  Unfortunately it isn’t socially acceptable to be walking around in my whitey tighties though.”

Louis laughed again at the admission.  “Whitey tighties…”  He shook his head, “I’m going to have to disagree with you there.  I quite enjoy my clothing.”  After another moment, and another sip of his beverage.  “Socks though… socks can go.”

Harry’s eyes immediately fell to Louis’ ankles which were indeed bare and he pulled a face, jerking his head back up to Louis’.  “You don’t wear socks?!  Gross, smelly feet!”  And he dramatically sniffed at the air as if to prove his point.  “I definitely disagree.  Socks are very important for healthy toes...”

Louis didn’t think Harry was very convincing.  But he grinned anyways, whining, “They’re so annoying though, and it takes so much time to put them on.”  He clearly wasn’t much better at persuading his point.

“Like five seconds!  You’re ridiculous…”  Harry muttered, finishing his last slice with finesse.

Louis couldn’t stop the amusement from showing in his expression.  “I’m ridiculous?!  You’re the one who wants to go around town completely starkers.”

Harry pursed his lips, before taking a sip of his drink.  “I’m going to have to buy you some fun socks.  Then you’ll want to wear them.”

“Sure…”  Louis appeased, though he was pretty sure he’d probably wear anything if Harry was the one who bought it for him.  The thought should’ve bothered him more.

But when they made it outside again, it felt like Louis didn’t have a care in the world.  The moon was out and the weather was nice and he had just had the most wonderful evening with his fiancé.  Err, not fiancé, just friend…

He glanced up at the night sky for a moment before turning to the younger lad beside him, quirking his mouth into a smile, “So what now, Styles?”  He grinned as Harry scrunched up his nose in thought, twisting his lips into a pucker.

After a beat, “…I think there’s a dog park nearby.  If you want to go there?”  He turned to smile timidly at Louis, “If you still want to hang out…?”

It wasn’t even a full second before Louis was responding.  “Yes, definitely.  Let’s go there!” 

And he knew he would’ve spent the rest of eternity hanging out with Harry if he could’ve.  As friends, of course... 

The two of them began walking in the parks direction, passing by the shops they had visited earlier, streetlamps illuminating their path and car’s rattling by.

There were a few times when they weren’t sure they were still heading the right way, but they figured even if they weren’t, as long as they were having fun it really didn’t matter.  Louis did tease Harry about his lack of sense of direction though, and he, maybe, enjoyed it quite a lot when Harry would roll his eyes at him with a secretive grin every time he did.

It was when they saw a sign and turned the corner of a building did they finally see the park; trees and plants illuminated by the moon, sidewalk lamps winding a path through the grass.  There were benches every pace or so, flowers wrapping around their ends, and the two slowly began to walk the path, appreciating the beauty and simplicity surrounding them.

Louis could still hear the bustling of the city, but it was subdued by the crickets chirping and the cicadas buzzing, and Harry’s low voice humming a song he’d heard the previous week, to see if Louis could guess what it was.

Their hands brushed, knuckles knocking gently together.  And every time it happened Louis held his breath.  He wasn’t sure why he did, but perhaps he hoped it would stifle the pattering in his chest and the fluttering in his stomach.

It was only a few more moments before he unexpectedly felt those long fingers lightly drag down his own, soft skin pressing into his own.  He bit down on his lip to stop himself from shakily exhaling a breath as Harry lightly entwined their fingers, just barely holding on, as if waiting for Louis to allow it. 

Louis closed the gaps between their palms, squeezing gently, holding tight.

“Is this okay…?”  Harry asked quietly and when Louis glanced over to see him in the weak wash of the street lamps he could tell there was a light pink flush to his cheeks.  He was glad he didn’t seem to be the only one affected.   He followed Harry’s gaze down to look at the way their hands fit almost perfectly together and his heart hammered again, knocking hard against his lungs.

He had to pull his eyes away from Harry’s soft expression so that he could actually force himself to respond, clear the crater from where it had lodged itself in his airway.  He coughed quietly to help himself, “Yah I mean, we’ve practically made out before, so it’s fine….”

He was being awkward.  He was being _so_ awkward.  He coughed again to clear his throat; trying to stop himself from acting, and feeling, so weird.

But having Harry’s smooth hand in his, and the other boy staring at him so intently like he was, was making it difficult for Louis to think clearly, much less respond like he normally would have.  He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he gave a small exhale when he felt Harry finally look away from his face.

They passed by a tall weeping willow, its long fronds reaching towards the delicate flower buds growing near its roots, as if wanting to stroke their soft petals.  Louis gladly took the diversion as he pulled Harry over to the tree, bending down to inspect the flowers.

They were just bulbs, closed tight for the night, and their pretty purple and red colors gleamed even in the dark shadow of the tree.  Harry crouched down next to him, extending his free hand to lightly caress the flower’s petals and Louis watched, almost wishing Harry would touch him just as reverently and gently as he was the blossom.

He turned his attention to Harry’s profile, studying the boy’s features, his soft curls, sharp jawline, pretty green eyes.  He followed the curve of Harry’s nose down to the corner of his upturned lips, the perfect raspberry red.

Louis knew their color was a ruse though because Harry didn’t taste like raspberries; he tasted so much better, felt like the electric pinks and vibrant golds of an exploding star, luminous and breathtaking whenever their lips would press together.

“I like kissing you.”

And oh. Shit.  He had not meant to say that.  He sucked in a breath, looking anywhere but at Harry’s face, feeling his palms grow sweatier as he rushed out, “Uh, in a friend way.  Like in greeting…  I did that in Russia.  People kiss each other on the mouths sometimes there…”  He felt like a complete idiot; what was he even saying?

When he had finally given himself enough mental encouragement to glance in Harry’s direction, the younger lad was smiling gently back at him, a larger grin slowly creeping its way onto his petal soft lips, as if he was trying to hold back laughter.  “I thought they kissed on the cheek in Russia?”  He asked after a moment, his own dusted a light pink color that he quickly tried to hide by turning away.

Louis continued watching the pretty flush paint Harry’s cheeks as he shrugged, “Umm maybe it wasn’t a greeting then…”

Harry breathed out a quiet laugh, tugging Louis back to the sidewalk.  It wasn’t until they were walking again, Louis internally deriding himself for being such an idiot when Harry spoke up again, in a soft whisper, “I like kissing you too…”  He was chewing on his lower lip, but the cheeky grin he flashed Louis after a moment was enough to convince the older that he could breathe normally again.

Louis felt his throat close up a bit at the admission though and his stomach jump, his heart throb wildly in his chest.  He still returned Harry’s smile, unsure whether he would’ve been able to say anything in response.  If he had opened his mouth he probably would’ve confessed another thing that he was sure he wouldn’t have wanted to admit to the younger man, let alone to himself.

And they didn’t kiss that night, of course they didn’t, because _then_ things would have been weird between them.  Because they weren’t dating.  And they were _just_ friends.

So in hopes of convincing himself to forget about what Harry had said about kissing him and liking it, Louis made sure to talk and talk about anything and everything.  And while he did so, he had to remind himself numerous times that what he was feeling for Harry was normal; that he absolutely did _not_ like him as more than an acquaintance or a pal… because he just didn’t; no matter how his body reacted whenever he was around the younger.

It wasn’t like it mattered anyways though, because they weren’t going to get married and love didn’t exist…

Louis breathed out heavily in between his sentences to the man, repeating in his mind yet again, that he did _not_ like Harry as much as he really did.


	10. Chapter 10

Even though he’d told himself, numerous times, that he only liked Harry strictly as a friend and nothing more, it didn’t seem to be enough.  Louis knew he was going to have to _prove_ it to his stupid Harry-addled brain and Harry-insistent heart in order for them to stop turning against him whenever he was around the younger lad.

Being at his and Harry’s bachelor party presented him with the perfect opportunity to do just that.

And Louis was feeling particularly buzzed, and excited at the moment as he romped about the club, drinking as many alcoholic beverages as he could get ahold of— as their best men had already made sure he and Harry would have a chauffeur to drive them home later that night— and chatting up as many people as he possibly could.

Louis found that he never veered too far from Harry’s sight though, which… had not been the plan.  He smacked himself with his palm in hopes that it would help him get his priorities in order; he was supposed to be _proving_ something.

But like a moth to a flame, Louis ended up at Harry’s side anyways, gripping the younger boy’s waist to turn him around.  “Last night for a one night stand, Harold.” he called over the loud music, grinning in excitement.

He had already gotten his ‘permission’ from Niall and Zayn to do whatever he wanted, even if that meant sleeping around.  Only for the night though as it _was_ his bachelor party and he had only so many days left as a free man.  Even though, technically, there was still about a month until his actual wedding day.

It didn’t go unnoticed that Harry furrowed his brows and frowned at Louis’ statement, sipping delicately at his drink.  Louis continued smiling up at him anyways, quite enjoying their proximity.  He wasn’t sure if keeping his hand on Harry’s waist was really doing much to prove his earlier point of _not_ liking Harry.

But he _was_ sure that the younger man looked unreasonably pretty in the ambient light of the bar and that just wasn’t fair.  Louis plucked the beer from his hands, taking a swig of the sweet liquid.  Harry didn’t even try to take it back as he made a face at him, huffing out a breath.  Louis loved when Harry was irritated with him.

After he took another sip and returned the beverage, Louis decided that it was in his best interest to not be near Harry any more that night.  He wasn’t supposed to be spending his _engagement_ party with the person he was ‘ _engaged’_ to.  That would’ve just been ridiculous.

He had to get a one night stand. 

Because that was going to be the only way he’d be able to convince himself that he didn’t have any feelings for Harry; by sleeping with another person.

Louis ambled off after mussing with the younger man’s curls, making his way towards the dance floor and the numerous bodies grinding on it.  He glanced around to see some of his friends and coworkers and it seemed that everyone had already gotten into the swing of the night.  When Louis looked for his and Harry’s best men he could see Niall chugging a mug of beer to loud cheers and Liam very clearly losing himself in the crowd of dancers, raving like a mad man.  It took him a bit longer to find Zayn, but when he did, he could see the other man flirting with the DJ at the back of the club.  He always knew he could trust Zayn’s taste in music.

Especially as he began to move with the crowd himself, dancing his little drunken heart out.  He continued to sneak glances every so often towards Harry, who was still at the bar, but it wasn’t because he cared about what the younger lad was doing, or anything, but because he wanted to see if the line for the bartender was getting any shorter…

And it seemed that Harry might’ve been glancing his way too, but it was so dim in the club that it was hard for Louis to tell.  He wouldn’t have been surprised if he was imagining the younger’s eyes following his every movement as he danced though, because he couldn’t help but maybe wish that they would.

When Louis felt more bodies writhe against his own he could see the younger man down another drink, and that must’ve been, at the very least, his fourth.  And what Louis knew from spending so much time with him was that the younger lad was a lightweight.

Louis tried to ignore the sudden need he felt to go back over to Harry.  It was _his_ bachelor party too and he should’ve already been in someone else’s pants by then.  He shouldn’t have even been thinking about anything or anyone besides his prospective hookup… much less the man he was supposed to be getting married to.

He didn’t know why his eyes kept drifting to find the younger lad though, or why he wanted to be near him so badly.

And it wasn’t until he looked back over, after gently nudging a very drunken girl away from him, that he saw someone leaning into Harry’s space, resting a hand on his forearm.  It wasn’t anyone that Louis recognized and the way Harry was looking at the guy, it must not have been anyone he recognized either.

Something in Louis’ stomach spiked when the man swept a piece of Harry’s hair to the side of his face, and it wasn’t the alcohol in his stomach.

Louis couldn’t stop himself from pushing his way out of the crowd after another moment of watching the two.  He was very drunk and very bothered, glaring in the man’s direction when the guy ran a hand up Harry’s forearm.  Louis hated the feeling that was rolling through his veins at the sight, hated that Harry wasn’t shoving the stranger off.

Louis stopped at Harry’s side when he got to them, grabbing his arm to gently pull him away from the other man.  He could tell Harry was very drunk when he stumbled at the pull and Louis quickly steadied him, checking his flushed features to see if he was okay, before mumbling, “C’mon Harry, let’s go.” 

But the man had to be tenacious, of course, as he stopped their departure with the same hand that had been on Harry earlier, coming up to grab at his shoulder.  “Hey, we were just talking.  Where are you going?”

“Fuck off.”  Louis immediately replied, glaring harder when he felt that gut reaction pull at his stomach again.  He only momentarily wondered why he was being so aggressive, but he knew it had to do with the boy he had leaning into his touch.

What surprised him was when Harry mumbled, “Wait, Lou...  I don’t wanna go,” instead of following his lead.  And he looked to Harry’s expression, crinkled with thought, before he was interrupted from responding with, “Listen to the bloke, he doesn’t want to go.  Do you even _know_ him?”

Obviously Harry wasn’t the only one of the three of them who was extremely drunk.

Louis gave the man another venomous glare.  “I’m his fiancé, asshole.”  And he felt a hot surge of possessiveness rush through him again when the guy snorted with a juvenile, “I don’t see a ring.”

Louis fumed, but decided to indulge the man anyways.  He reached down to his back pocket, grabbing the silver ring inside of it as he reached towards Harry’s collar to pull the chain up from where it had been hidden beneath his V-neck, to present the identical bands.  He slipped his ring onto his finger as he lifted his eyebrows at the guy in a challenge.

But before he could hear any more irritating statements from the drunkard he dragged Harry away; hand falling to clasp the younger’s in his own.

They didn’t get very far before Harry was pulling the older lad to a stop though, near the edge of the crowded bar where it was much quieter and they could actually hear each other speak at a normal volume.  Louis turned to see the younger boy’s concentrated expression, and he quickly found his anger dissipating at how it made him look like an adorably frustrated toddler.

He breathed out a heavy sigh as Harry’s gaze moved up to meet his from where it had previously been aimed at the ground in thought.  “You said… fiancé… I’m getting married?”

Louis blinked a few times at Harry’s blank expression, confused as to why the boy was asking him that.  After a few moments of contemplation, Louis realized that Harry had probably drank a little bit more than he had originally thought, very clearly not in his right state of mind.

But instead of getting mad like he had been minutes before, Louis let out a soft, “Yes love, you are,” as if he were speaking to a child.

And he wasn’t surprised when Harry’s brow furrowed further.  “But I don't want to get married...”

Louis couldn’t stop the small smile from making its way onto his lips.  Harry just looked so endearingly lost, like he couldn’t quite wrap his head around what they were saying.  “Yah I know you don't want to.  We've already gone over that...”

Harry was quick to clarify with a shake of his head, curls tangling over his ears.  “But I do want to get married.  I just don't want to unless my husband loves me...”  He looked down again, in further contemplation, voice slow and honeyed with anticipation, “Louis, does my fiancé love me?”

And Louis suddenly felt the pressure of Harry’s hand in his own.  The way it wrapped around his palm; the softness of those long, delicate fingers.  He took in a shaky breath, “Excuse me...?”  But Harry looked so innocently curious, like he didn’t know exactly _who_ he was talking to; didn’t know that he was asking his actual fiancé a question that had such a complicated answer.

Louis blinked again, watching the way Harry’s eyebrows tilted in concern.  He cleared his throat. “I'm sure, later in your life… when you get married, your husband will love you very much...”

And it made Louis still where he’d begun to fidget, watching the smile that made its way onto Harry’s lovely face, where it touched those gorgeous eyes.  "I'm so happy, I'm getting married!"  He mumbled in response, before biting down on his bottom lip to stop that smile from growing any larger.  Louis couldn’t believe how unbelievably stunning Harry was.

And he wished he couldn’t feel that ache in his chest at the fact that it wasn’t him that Harry was happy with marrying.   The younger lad couldn’t even remember Louis was the person he _was_ marrying; he was daydreaming about some other guy, and Louis hated that thought.

He turned back around to hide his frown from the boy, dropping his hand until they were at their separate sides.  He had to get Harry home; the other lad was no longer in any condition to continue staying out.

Making sure that Harry, in his contented daze, was following after him, Louis began walking towards the exit, pulling out his phone to text their chauffeur.

When the car pulled up, he got in first, scooting towards the middle seat to make room for the younger man.  Harry quickly followed, stumbling into the car, and immediately seating himself on top of Louis’ lap, facing him with a widened grin.

Louis was glad the partition was already up, as he could tell Harry was going to be a handful.  Especially when the boy scrunched his nose up and wiggled his bum to get more comfortable.  Louis could feel his eyebrows rising and his cheeks heating even as Harry continued to smile dazedly and contently back at him.

"Is it going to be pretty?”  He asked quietly, running his hand gently over Louis’ shoulder, smoothing out the jacket’s fabric.

Louis blinked up at him, his brain shutting down as Harry continued his movements.  He was way too distracted to even think let alone speak, so he reached up, catching Harry’s hand in his own, to still it.  Harry’s eyes drew back to his at the action and Louis gave him a small smile, taking a few moments to process what Harry was referring to, as the younger’s other hand slipped down to rest on his collarbones.

“It's going to be a beautiful wedding..."  He responded, and that seemed to be what Harry had wanted to hear as he grinned again, his hand slipping under Louis’ jacket to momentarily paw at his chest.  Harry seemed to be really fidgety and touchy when he was drunk and if Louis could calm the way his heart was beating and his skin was heating up, he probably would’ve enjoyed it way more than he already was.  He was just thankful that Harry was sitting back near his knees and not pressing up against him in other ways.

“You can come to my wedding if you want Lou."  He offered, giggling sweetly when Louis let out his own nervous laugh.

"Oh I'm invited, am I?"  He asked as he reached out to grasp Harry by the waist, to hold the lad so he wouldn’t slip when the vehicle rustled about.

"Yeah." Harry hummed, staring intently into his eyes.  "But only if you bring me a really nice gift."  And Louis laughed again, though it quickly cut off when Harry leaned forward to nuzzle his nose into his cheek and jaw, breathing lightly over his warm skin.

Louis could feel his heart knocking against his chest, right where Harry’s left palm lay.  The younger man had to have been able to feel it, but he was much too busy now nosing into the crook of Louis’ neck for him to say anything about it.

Louis inhaled a shaky breath at Harry’s continued roaming.

He was supposed to be getting married in a month.  One month more and Louis was going to be wedded to the boy currently in his lap.  He wasn’t sure if the quickened pace of his pulse was from nervousness, or from excitement at maybe actually going through with it.  He didn’t want to be married, he didn’t… but maybe, just maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he was expecting it to be, if it was with Harry.

If Louis had had a choice to pick the person he was going to marry, he didn’t think he would’ve picked anyone else.  And that thought, suddenly flitting through his head, scared him unbelievably so.

It must’ve been the reason his cheeks were burning and his mouth was suddenly so dry.

Louis was only cut from his trance when a soft vibrating motion pressed into his neck and a cute scuffling noise tagged along with it.  He paused, feeling Harry’s teeth nip lightly at his skin and with a start, he reached up to tilt Harry’s chin with another breathless laugh as the younger leaned into the touch of his hand.  “Are you purring?”

Harry smirked slyly, nodding his stupidly adorable head and Louis found himself grinning back, though it was hard with the way Harry was staring at him, watching his every motion.  Harry bit his lower lip as Louis lightly tucked a curl behind his ear, his other hand gripping tighter to the younger’s waist as the car bumped around a little bit.

They still didn’t break eye contact, and the next time Harry leaned forward, his mouth found the corner of Louis’, just edging onto his lips as he kissed him. Louis exhaled heavily, falling into the feeling, before moving his own mouth to align with the younger’s, pushing forward to meet the tentative strokes of Harry’s tongue along his bottom lip.  He pressed closer for only a moment more before Harry was backing away, grinning mischievously and only coming back in to give small precise pecks, over and over across Louis’ craving lips.  It wasn’t enough, having Harry tease him like he was.

Louis _needed_ Harry’s lips back on his for longer, he _needed_ more.

“Stop moving.”  He breathed out when Harry pulled back again, in a breathless giggle.  Louis grasped at the younger man’s jaw to stop him; capturing those clever lips again in a delicate kiss.  Harry grinned into the motion and Louis was sure he would never be okay again.

The sweet taste of Harry’s, the saccharine scent that Louis couldn’t get enough of had him losing his mind.  He was mesmerized, pleased little shivers creeping up his spine every time Harry angled his lips to get better acquainted to his mouth, like he was mapping it out; his tongue tracing the seam of Louis’, to leave its mark.

Louis had never wanted to be kissing someone so much before; to take it slow and memorize the sensation of Harry’s velvety skin beneath his own.  He was breathless with just the realization that Harry was kissing him, and that in that moment Harry wanted him too.

And when Louis had gotten his fill, though it really wasn’t enough, would never be enough, he let Harry pull back with a shy smile and an exquisite rosy flush coloring his cheekbones.  The younger lad bit down on his puffy, pink bottom lip again and Louis watched the movement, wanting nothing more than to be the one doing so in his place.  “Louis…” Harry started, and his deep wavering tone was enough to convince Louis to tear his gaze away from that lovely mouth, to look into his eyes and catch the way those long eyelashes fanned out when he blinked, casting shadows over the reddening of his cheeks. 

“You can’t tell my fiancé okay.  I know it’s my bachelor party night and I, I can make out with whoever I want… but you can’t, okay?”  Louis couldn’t hold back his lazy grin or the carefree laugh that escaped it even though Harry still hadn’t realized he was his fiancé.  It didn’t even matter anymore because Louis was pretty sure nothing in the world could’ve beaten him down at that moment.  Harry met his gaze, eyes widening as he whispered out an anxious, “you can’t, okay?”

Louis let out another quiet snigger, brushing a stray curl out of the younger’s face.  “Of course I won’t...”  And he happily let Harry lean forward to kiss him again, the boy mumbling out a quiet, “thank you,” as he pecked again, against his sensitive lips.

And their next few kisses where much gentler and slower, and still just as wonderful.  And it was only when the car had come to a stop that Louis was drawn back from his euphoria, parting mouths with Harry’s only to nudge the younger man’s nose with his own as he recollected himself, taking a deep breath of the untouched air he’d been deprived of.  He blinked his heavy lids open; coming into contact with Harry’s clouded emerald’s gazing right back.

Louis’ tone was soft when he finally spoke, “Alright, love, we’re here…” and he glanced towards the door and out the darkened windows as he instructed, “Best get up now.”

Harry only stared at him for a few moments more before he was shifting his weight and shuffling out, grabbing Louis’ hand to pull the older man along with him.  Louis couldn’t help but smile at the action as he stepped onto the concrete sidewalk behind him.

He glanced up at Harry’s house and down to where the younger lad still had his hand held securely in his own, before taking a few steps forward, “I guess I’ll make sure you get to your room alright,” he mumbled, much to Harry’s liking, it seemed.

The younger man scuffled along behind him and to Louis’ amusement, and chagrin, Harry continually tried to stop him from unlocking his front door; stealing his keys back to stuff them in his tight little pocket so Louis would have to grope his butt to retrieve them.  Louis had to quiet the ridiculous boy multiple times as they made their way towards the main hallway and up a flight of stairs, and he was most definitely not completely endeared with everything the younger lad was doing. 

Especially when Harry continued giggling into his neck instead of leading him through the unfamiliar hallways, making it ten times more difficult to find the boy’s bedroom.  Upon making it to a room with a bed though, Louis figured it would have to do.

He settled Harry down on top of the duvet, watching the younger man laugh again before he was rolling around on the cushiony material.  Louis grinned at the spectacle, a fond expression working its way onto his face. It was only a moment before Harry was reaching out for him again, putting on that sweet, compelling smile of his, but Louis was quick to cross his hands behind his back before Harry could pull him any closer.

“I guess I should go… it’s getting pretty late.”  Louis began, softly, taking a step back towards the door, keeping his eyes on the boy who pushed himself up on his elbows at Louis’ distancing.

“You’re not staying?”  He asked, brows twitching in concern.

Louis breathed out, watching Harry pout those tempting lips.  “No… I probably should go…”

Harry’s face only grew more childishly upset at his words, his lower lip trembling dramatically.  Louis let out a chuckle, “You’ll be seeing me tomorrow, babe, don’t look so sad.”

Harry immediately perked up at his statement, smiling again. “What’re we doing tomorrow?”

“We’re going to see our wedding planner again.  Hopefully you’re not still hungover by then…”  Louis responded easily, grinning down at him.

“Wait, why are you going Lou…?”  He let out a bright twinkling laugh, as if the idea was truly ridiculous, “Shouldn’t my _fiancé_ be going with me?”

Louis shook his head, huffing out his own amused laughter.  “You’re going to have the worst headache...” he mused, smiling down at the other man. “Now get some sleep.”

Harry nodded after a few moments, lying back down on the blankets and humming out a sleepy, “Bye Lou-Lou.”

“Bye Hazza.”  Louis replied quietly, quickly letting himself out before he could decide to go back and tuck the younger man in, and possibly never ever leave.

When he was back in the awaiting vehicle, Louis couldn’t help a small smile from gracing his lips.  He was finding it difficult to stop himself from thinking about how wonderful Harry was, and how much he liked him; how much he’d liked kissing him.

Louis was maybe, sort of, really excited for the following day because he’d be seeing the younger man again. And even though they were going to have to do more wedding stuff, at least they would be doing it together. 

He briefly wondered if it’d be weird of him to try and to kiss Harry again the next day too.

Harry probably didn’t remember any of what had happened that night, though; he’d been so drunk.  It probably would be weird…

Louis refrained from thinking too much about it, his skin still buzzing from earlier.  He had had such a great night that he didn’t want to ruin it with stupid thoughts about what it all ‘meant’, he just wanted to think about kissing and Harry and kissing Harry.  Louis shut his eyes momentarily, replaying Harry’s sleep raspy words in his head.  He smiled to himself, wondering just what he was going to do with the younger lad.

***

Louis was buzzing around the room, feeling surprisingly, energized; and he hadn’t even had his routine cup of caffeine that morning.

He honestly didn’t know what was wrong with him.  He felt alive, excited.  It reminded him of when he’d traveled around the world ready to explore and fell a little bit more in love with every country he’d visited.

He didn’t know the exact reason for why he was feeling that way, but as he continued to look to his phone, to see if he’d gotten any texts from Harry (which he hadn’t as he could only imagine the younger man was still sleeping off his hangover) he could assume it most certainly had to do with the curly headed lad.

Louis was about to begin humming a few verses of the new album he’d bought the other day, that he’d only got because Harry had told him he’d liked the artist, when there was a muted knock on the door.

It was almost midday which meant there were only a few more hours before Louis would be going to pick Harry up at his place, to drive them to their wedding planner’s office.  He had both time _and_ energy to waste as he called out a rather chipper, “Come in,” to the recipient on the other side of his door.

Louis found himself immediately mimicking the frown on his mother’s face as she walked into his room with a sullen look.  “Sit down, Louis.  I think we need to talk…”  She took a deep breath before gesturing towards the bed and Louis immediately felt anxious by the way she seemed so distraught.

Moving to the edge of his bed, she perched herself atop it, waiting for him to join her.  Everything about her expression screamed ‘disappointment’ and Louis had the right to feel wary.  He’d always stayed away from his mother whenever she’d looked like that in the past; nothing good ever seemed to from it.

It was after a few long moments of her looking back at him that she finally spoke, making sure he was maintaining eye contact.  “Louis, I’m really frustrated right now… and I don’t think I’ve ever been more… disappointed.” 

He nodded after a few long moments, prompting her to continue, knowing from years of similar talks that she wouldn’t continue if he didn’t give her some sort of acknowledgment that he was paying attention.  He fiddled with the tops of his jeans, pinching at the fabric to busy himself and not focus on the way his mother’s discontent was being directed at him.

She took an even breath, looking away to continue, “The people who work for the wedding preparation classes we signed you boys up for called me.  They told me that you two wouldn’t be able to get your certificates because you missed a meeting.” She turned back towards him, lips drawn into a thin line, dark bags visible beneath her eyes.  She shook her head, as if she really couldn’t believe their behavior. “I mean, I’m just so upset with you boys.  First, it’s late for your engagement party, and then skipping your two hour preparation class?  Could you really not even go for that long?”

She took another deep breath, calming herself from growing more frustrated, or getting emotional.  Louis didn’t know what he would’ve done if she’d started to cry.  “And then there have been all the other difficulties...”  She rubbed at her temples, looking so much older than Louis had ever seen her look before.  He immediately scratched at the back of his neck, feeling surprisingly guilty for being the one to have caused her to look like that.

Heaving out a burdened sigh, Jay looked up at him again, sitting up straighter as if it would help to keep herself levelheaded; though it really only made Louis feel even smaller than he was already feeling.  Her expression seemed unaffected, cool; her monotone voice and dismissive tone, disappointed as she finally spoke again. “We’re calling the wedding off...  Clearly it was just, a mistake, to force you two into this…  You win.  No marriage, no wedding.”

And Louis should’ve been fucking ecstatic.  He should’ve been bouncing off the walls, overjoyed by the news, thrilled to be a free man again; at not having to marry Harry.

He didn’t smile though, and he didn’t feel happy, at all.  He just continued blinking back at her as she drew in another short breath and got up to move towards his door.  She stopped with her hand on the knob, setting her defeated gaze back on him. “I don’t want to think about it for a few days… We’ll deal with cancelling everything next week.” She sounded so, so disappointed in him and Louis knew better than to mouth back or say anything, except for nod his head in response.

He shouldn’t have been feeling as guilty as he was; it hadn’t been his mom’s right to force him into a marriage he hadn’t wanted to be in in the first place. 

But it didn’t seem to matter anymore, and he wasn’t going to fight her on it, because he’d gotten what he’d wanted...  He just hoped she would eventually stop giving him the look she was currently giving him as she exited his room, clicking the door shut behind her.

It was minutes, maybe hours later before Louis moved, sitting back against his headboard, still reeling at everything that had just happened.  He really shouldn’t have been so shocked with his mother’s decision; it had been what he and Harry had wanted.  What they’d been striving for the whole entire time they’d been ‘together’.

Even still, he wasn’t feeling very pleased at the moment either.  Not chipper at all.  It felt almost as if a boulder was sitting on his chest and he couldn’t remove it no matter how hard he tried to lift or push it away.

He folded his legs together above the duvet, running a hand through his hair, for what felt like hours more, the smallest thought of whether he should text Harry, or call him, crossing his mind.  He wondered if he was obligated to as Harry’s partner in crime… he sort of wanted to, for his own sake.

But he didn’t want to consider whether it would’ve been awkward if he did so.  Because really, what was he supposed to say?  That he was glad?  Because he really wasn’t.

It was nearing seven when Louis finally looked at a clock.  He wasn’t sure where his entire day had gone, but he was pretty positive he honestly didn’t care.  Glancing down to his phone, he finally gave in and unlocked the screen to stare at his contacts. 

It took him another few minutes to finally open up a blank text under Harry’s name, and even another few before he was typing out a short sentence commending the two of them for their perseverance.  He almost immediately received a couple emoji’s as his only reply.

And he had absolutely no idea what they were supposed to mean.  But the instantaneous response had him imagining Harry tucked into his bed with his phone in his palm, contemplating whether to text Louis, much like Louis had been doing himself.

Harry probably wasn’t in his room though...  He was probably out with his friends, celebrating like Louis should’ve been doing.

Louis was all out of sorts.  He found his fingers scrawling for Harry’s number before he could even think twice more about it.  Pressing the dial button, he held the mobile up to his ear and it rung, only once, before it was being picked up with a muffled, “Hello?” resounding from the other side.

Louis let Harry’s soft, warm voice sink into his skin; didn’t really want to say anything if he could’ve just listened to Harry instead.  But he had been the one to call, which was why he breathed out a muffled, “Hi…”

He sounded a lot less chipper than his text had made him out to be.

“Hey Lou…”  Harry didn’t sound much better.  And it seemed he wasn’t out with friends or celebrating, the hush on the other end of the line making Louis wonder again, whether Harry was lying in his bed; consider, again, whether the younger lad had been there all day, like Louis had been.

Louis let out a tiny chuckle, just to break the heavy hush, “I guess we did it Haz...  We don’t have to get married to each other anymore.”  He tried to sound chipper about what he was saying, but he just couldn’t get his voice to work correctly.  He hoped Harry couldn’t tell; hoped that the connection fuzzed out his faltering tone.

“Yah, I suppose not.”  There was another silence before Harry spoke again, voice unhurried and low, like it always seemed to be, “You know, I cried the first week after our moms told us we were going to get married…”  Louis waited, listened to the soft sounds of Harry’s even breathing.  “I guess, looking back at it now, the tears and worry were sort of all for nothing...”

Louis hummed to fill the silence.  “Should’ve had more faith, Harold.  I’m resourceful…  I wouldn’t have let it happen.”

Harry breathed out a small chuckle, “I suppose, but I didn’t know you then.  You could’ve been a total twat for all I knew…”

Louis huffed, making sure to sound as offended as he could.  His voice was still too fond.  “I _am_ a twat, thank you.”

“Sure, Lou…”  He could hear the grin in Harry’s voice, the small chuckle.  It brought a smile pulling at his own lips.

“It’s true!  I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but my name _is_ Louis Twat-linson.”

Harry laughed again, and the sound was dainty and bright and the most beautiful melody to reach Louis’ ears.  “I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t get married.  I’m not sure I would’ve been able to pull off Harry _Twat_ linson quite so well…”

“Harry Twatlinson...”  Louis repeated, mulling over the name in his head.  “Harry Tomlinson...” He began instead, smiling into the receiver, “I like it…” And he hoped his voice didn’t give away how his cheeks warmed at the statement, and his nose scrunched with just the thought of Harry sharing his last name.  His words had come out much softer, and much quieter than he’d intended.

Harry responded a moment after, in his own hushed tone, “Maybe… it does have a certain ring to it.”

And Louis wished he could’ve been with Harry in that moment, to see the way the younger’s sharp lips drew out the soft hum of his words.  He wanted to be able to see Harry’s sleepy grin as he yawned, and fix the curls that most certainly would’ve been mussed from his fiddling with them. 

Louis felt a sharp tug in his chest, a sudden sinking in his stomach at the longing he felt to be near the younger lad.  Just near enough to touch, to poke his side or to pull at his ear, to smile and curl up close, close, closer until there was no longer any room for him to pretend he wasn’t so, so gone for the boy.

He didn’t know why he was all at once feeling so overwhelmed by the younger man, who was still silently waiting for him to continue speaking on the other side of the phone, but he knew for certain in that instant, that he was well, and truly, fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to give a huge thank you to everyone for reading (and for bookmarking, subscribing, kudos-ing, and/or commenting)! You are all so very lovely! ^^ And I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!


	11. Chapter 11

Louis was fucked.  He was standing across from his mother at the kitchen island and he knew immediately where their conversation was heading before she even set down her cup of tea.  Jay heaved a burdened sigh, much like she had the previous week, and Louis really did not want to talk about his and Harry’s cancelled wedding _again_.  He really didn’t.

He’d known that their conversation had been coming though, but, like the idiot he was, he hadn’t prepared himself.  He tightened his grip on his own teacup, readying himself to flee if the opportunity were to arise.

But regrettably the moment didn’t strike as Jay breathed out another heavy sigh before looking up to meet his gaze.  “I just want you to be happy, Boo…”

And that was not what Louis had been expecting, but he found he was _very_ pleasantly surprised it wasn’t.  He nodded after a few minutes had passed and she glanced down at her tea to continue, “And I suppose Anne and I shouldn’t have tried forcing you and Harry together, but…”  He stiffened momentarily, waiting for her to continue; unsure why talking about his failed engagement with Harry was putting him so on edge.

She swallowed after a moment, “Having someone there for you, and being able to love someone, it’s the most rewarding feeling, Lou.  And I just wanted that for you too…”  She seemed to be having trouble finding the words to say, but he nodded anyways as she continued looking into her tea.  “Will you promise me to… at least… try?  Please?”

He paused in his fidgeting, brows furrowing hesitantly, “Try?”

She looked up to him again, “Yes, please try to be more welcoming to the idea of being with someone long term.”  She paused an uncertain moment before continuing, sounding slightly more exasperated and slightly more herself, “And I know you said you don’t believe in love, but, maybe you could… I don’t know, start.”

Louis stared at her for a few moments, before muttering, “I… uh, okay… I guess…”  He definitely was not going to tell her that he had sort of, maybe, already changed his mind about love.  And that he could admit it was plausibly real and not just a made up concept; that a lot of lucky people had probably already experienced it in their lives.

Like himself… maybe... currently.

His change of view had possibly been caused by a certain curly haired boy but, that knowledge was strictly his own.  His mother did not need to know and he honestly was still having trouble admitting it to himself.

Jay nodded, taking another sip of her tea.  And that must’ve been the end of the ‘serious’ portion of their conversation because she was quickly changing the subject, voice cheerful as she spoke. “So, what are you doing later today, then?  Anything fun?”

She began stirring another lump of sugar into her tea as Louis nodded tentatively in response. “Yeah, I was planning on going out with Niall and Zayn in like an hour.”  He didn’t mention that Liam and Harry were probably going to be there as well.  He didn’t want to make things weird.

As his mom nodded her head, she must’ve remembered something important because the next moment she was muttering out, “Oh, can you pick up the wedding pictures from the photographer, Lou?  Either before or after you hang out with the boys.”  She made a displeased face into her tea, muttering, “He’s going to charge us money if we _don’t_ pick them up…  It’s not like we didn’t already pay top-price for the actual photo shoot.”

Louis put down his cup to scratch at the back of his neck, feeling just slightly guilty again. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Jay eyed him momentarily, frowning sadly before she was waving her hand dismissively, “You can just… throw them away.  It really doesn’t matter anymore.”  She sounded resigned, again, to the fact that there wasn’t going to be a wedding, but she did attempt to give him a small smile, ruffling his hair with her hand.  “I love you, Boo.”  She mumbled, squeezing lightly at his cheek.

He shuffled around the counter to her side, to give her an apologetic hug.  “Love you too Mom...”  He muffled, glad she didn’t seem as disappointed in him that day as she had been the week before.

He really did hate upsetting her… even if he was a menace most of the time.  And because of his less than stellar behavior the past few months, he promised to call all of their relatives and tell them that the wedding was off so that she wouldn’t have to do it instead.  Since he had made the mess, he would clean it up too; he _was_ an adult after all.

And with another pinch to his cheeks, Louis left on his way to the photographer’s studio.  It didn’t take as long as he’d thought it would to get there and he picked up their large envelope of pictures within the hour.  Supposedly each photo that the photographer had taken, and had liked, was inside for them to pick through so that they could decide which to make copies of and which to toss out.

Since there was no longer a wedding to be had, there wasn’t any reason to look through the photos, and though his mother had said he could throw them away, Louis found he didn’t want to.  At least, he didn’t want to _yet_.  Not until he saw them first.

Louis took the envelope with him into the bar he was supposed to be meeting the other boys at and he quickly secured a booth for them to share before pulling out a few of the photos, finding himself immediately grinning down at the first ones he saw.

There was one picture that Louis was instantly amused at seeing.  It was a shot of him and Harry with their middle fingers up, frowning quite seriously at the camera; Louis was surprised it had been included in the selection, but he thought they looked cute.  The next one as well, had Louis grinning.  In it he was squinting quite unattractively up at Harry with the other boy laughing at his expression.  Harry looked so endearing in the photo; Louis was maybe a bit proud that he’d been the one to cause the reaction.

He pushed the next few aside to look at the following; all of which had him attempting to hide his smile behind his palm.  He hadn’t realized just how much fun he’d had that day being a menace with Harry until he could see the amusement clear on his face.  Judging by the crinkly-eyed smiles he sported in most of the photos (that he obviously hadn’t known were being taken or he would _not_ have being grinning like he’d been), he’d been having a lot of fun.

His eyes found the next picture, a solo shot of Harry, who looked to be in the process of laughing, eyes squeezed shut in what could only be described as delight.  Louis was pretty sure, after studying it for a few minutes more, that it had been the photo taken when he had made a stupid face behind the photographers back.  At least, he was almost positive it was.

Either way, he couldn’t help but breathe out a snort at Harry’s expression.

The younger man was a dork and Louis was very amused.

It was a moment later that Louis heard chattering that distinctly sounded like Niall’s and Liam’s, and when he glanced over his shoulder he was met with the sight of the three of them nearing, Zayn giving him a smile in greeting.  They settled themselves on the opposite side of the booth to where Louis was at, instantly picking up the pictures he’d already put down—that he hadn’t had time to clear away— and flicking through them like the nosy bastards they were. 

They seemed to have found them quite amusing, like Louis had, and _very_ much so in Niall’s case.

“What the hell’s going on in this one, Lou?”  The Irishman cackled and Louis quickly glanced over to see which picture he was referring it.  On it he and Harry were facing one another, standing close enough to be about a foots distance away, and Louis looked just a little bit constipated.

He shook his head, breathing out his own laugh as he recalled what exactly had happened.  “Yeah, Harry had his hands on my ass in that one…”

Niall let out another chuckle, a moment later giggling out, “legend,” under his breath.

Liam was quick to steal the photo from the blond to see for himself and Zayn in turn leaned into Liam’s side to see over the broader lad’s shoulder, before sniggering, “So were you trying not to get a boner?  Coz’ that’s definitely your ‘I’m getting turned on’ face.”

Louis puffed, “Excuse you, Zayn.  For your information, I was appalled by Harry’s, quite frankly, _rude_ behavior, _not_ turned on by it.”  It was only a moment before he continued, “And how would you know what my turned on face looks like?”

Zayn just shrugged with a sly smirk; as if he definitely didn’t believe what Louis was saying for a second.  And he clearly hadn’t been distracted by Louis’ second question, which was supposed to have changed the subject.  Because Louis didn’t need Zayn to know he had had a bit more fun than he probably should’ve been having.

“And how’d you get on the ground?  Was this a posed shot?”  Liam drew Louis’ attention away from where he was giving Zayn the evil eye, with a finger pointed down at another photo.   Louis had to stare at it for a half a second before it clicked.  Harry was sprawled on top of him, and embarrassingly enough, they were gazing, albeit a bit bewilderedly, into each other’s eyes.  He chuckled.  Awkwardly.

“Umm, no, that was… an accident…”  Liam gave him a questioning glance, probably wanting him to expound on that idea.  “We both sort of just tripped…”    And Harry had just landed on top of him, and Louis had just stared pretty blatantly at the younger man’s mouth, and Harry had _just_ had _his thigh_ in between Louis’ legs and Liam _just_ definitely did not need to know about any of that.

“Ahh.” was the taller boy’s response, as he continued snickering down at the pictures.  Louis briefly wondered what Liam thought about seeing his best friend with him, like that.  He wondered if Liam thought Harry looked happy in their photos…

Not that it really mattered, but Louis wanted to be able to make Harry happy.  He wanted to make Harry very happy.  The younger lad certainly had that effect on him.

Louis let the other three continue flipping through the photos he’d already taken out of the envelope as he glanced down towards the next few that were still cupped in his hands.

He instantly glanced anxiously around upon seeing the following picture, to make sure no one was looking his way.  He pulled his arms slightly closer, peeking back down.

His eyes wandered over the image as he chewed unceremoniously on his lower lip.  It was a picture of him and Harry kissing, and just glancing at it had Louis’ heart rate picking up.

He spared another glance towards the boys on the other side of the table, who were still thankfully distracted, and when Louis looked back down, he let his eyes trail over all of the areas where he and Harry met; where his palms cupped Harry’s jaw, fingertips just barely tangling into his unruly curls, where his lips were pressed so hesitantly against Harry’s own.  There was a light flush on the younger man’s cheeks and the part of his lips that weren’t against Louis’ looked just as soft as the older boy remembered.

Louis really wanted to kiss Harry again…  He really, really did.

But he couldn’t.  So he put the picture back into the envelope feeling all disgruntled again, like his chest was trying to cave in on itself so it wouldn’t have to feel anything ever again.  He fidgeted before pulling the next photo up to where he could see it.

It looked to be the same exact pose as the previous one, except it had been taken from farther away; far enough that Louis could see Harry’s large, deliberate hands resting at his waist, holding him to his tall frame as he leaned up to better reach Harry’s mouth.

When Louis looked to his and Harry’s expressions he could see that the photo had been taken when they had begun to pull away from each other; his gaze lingering on Harry’s eyes as they did.

He slipped that one back into its envelope as well.

The other three didn’t need to see those.

Louis glanced up at Liam when the other lad spoke, “You honestly look like you two were having such a blast.” He grinned over at Louis and Louis had to clear his throat again before he could even think of responding.  He gave a tight lipped smile, hoping Liam wouldn’t be able to tell how unnatural it was.  “Yah… I guess we were…”

The other lad began rummaging back through the photos on the table, nodding his head, “These are going to look so good hanging up at your flat!”  Niall and Zayn seemed to agree as they began pointing out certain pictures they liked before informing him where they thought they should be hung up.

Louis was hardly paying attention to the conversation at hand though, due to all of his thoughts surrounding Harry, Harry, and even more Harry, and where the younger man was, and why he wasn’t there yet, and their kiss the week before, and did he like Louis too? — When Niall drew Louis’ attention back with a suggestive, "Hey, what'd you two get up to last week?  When you and Harry left the bachelor party early?"  The blond even went so far as to lift his eyebrows twice in an attempt to get his point across. 

It took a few seconds for his question to process.

Niall thought they’d done something _dirty_.

Louis’ throat closed up even more as he tried to stop his eyes from widening.  "Nothing,” He breathed out almost immediately, though his mind simultaneously reminded him of a darkened car and a lapful of a very beautiful boy; of Harry, giggling sweetly against his lips and kissing him so deftly, tongue sharp and needing.

It took another moment for Louis to stop a blush from rising up his neck and onto his cheeks.  It really had been nothing compared to what Niall probably thought had happened between them.  It’s not like they had slept together; Louis hadn’t even stayed at Harry’s that night, even when the younger lad had looked like he’d wanted him to.

"That's not what Harry told me." Liam responded coyly.  And Louis immediately replayed the events of that night in his mind, _again_ ; like a constant loop painting his brain with images of what he didn’t think he could ever forget.  All they did was… kiss… a little…  Louis felt his stomach tighten; Harry remembered that…

"What?"  He blanched, feeling as if he was about to choke on something; probably his sudden surprise or, perhaps even the distress he could feel pumping through his veins.  He shouldn’t have been as uneasy as he was either.  It wasn’t like it mattered that Harry might’ve remembered their little make-out session or anything; Louis did too... and he was fine...

It just seemed like things could easily become awkward between them now that he knew Harry remembered as well.  Because they’d both been drunk, and Louis probably should’ve stopped the younger lad from kissing him since that had been the case.

But he hadn’t wanted to.

He’d _wanted_ Harry to kiss him.  He still wanted it.

Liam scratched his nose, grinning into his drink, "Yah, Harry has a stupidly vivid memory...  Even when he's drunk off his ass!”

Niall continued lifting his eyebrows suggestively at Louis as the older man tried to maintain his composure.  He’d never been very good at that.

"What'd he tell you??"  Louis rushed, internally berating himself for not acting as calm as he didn’t feel.  He was totally nonchalant about it though…  Especially as he leaned into the table, impatiently awaiting a response, mouth pressed into a thin line and head turned completely to the side so he could better hear Liam’s response.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the lad grow a frown and suddenly look, just a bit guilty, like he was considering the fact that he probably shouldn't have said anything.  "I uh, I don't think I'm in the, uh, position to say... You should ask him though, he can tell you!"

Louis was _not_ going to do that.  "Right..."

And it wasn’t long after Louis put the photos back into their envelope that he was alerted to Harry’s arrival; as Niall shouted the boy’s name into his ear.  He glanced up to see the curly haired lad giving him a small, unsure smile before he was sitting down in the open spot next to him.

“Hey Lou.” He spoke softly, nervously biting down on his lower lip.  And he was probably the cutest thing Louis had ever seen.  He could feel his heart tense with affection.

“Hey Haz...”  He supplied back, giving the younger lad an equally small grin before he was shifting back to face the other three.  He could tell when Harry did the same because the other man’s gaze was no longer boring into the side of his face. 

Louis fidgeted in his chair, lasting only a second more before he was zoning back in on Harry.  He took a deep, steadying breath; he could do it, he could act like Harry’s friend without things being weird or awkward.  He _was_ Harry’s friend, nothing more and nothing less, he just needed to stop being a freak.  He nudged the younger with his shoulder, turning to give the boy a grin.

Harry turned to him after a moment, returning the smile before relaxing slightly into his side.  Louis was okay with that, he was probably, actually, a lot more than okay with that.  “How was your week?”  He asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the other lads from their conversation.

Harry reached up to trace the seam of Louis’ shirt with his finger as he pondered a response.  “It was good, yeah.  I helped my sister a lot with her research stuff.  It wasn’t too bad.”  He pursed his lips before glancing back, “How about you?”

Louis was too busy watching Harry’s lips form his words and twist into a cute little pucker to realize he had been asked a question.  It was only from Harry’s slowly growing smile that he realized he was being addressed.  He sputtered, shaking his head. “Yeah, no, same,” before he was pulling a face and continuing, “Well, not the same… my sister’s don’t do research… Umm, I was at my dad’s office.  Working.”

Harry breathed out a laugh before continuing to ask him questions.  And Louis was so happy to be talking to the younger man again.  They hadn’t done so since their phone call the previous week and Louis knew he had missed him.

In fact Louis was so wrapped up in what Harry was saying that he had almost completely forgotten that Niall, Liam, and Zayn were on the other side of the table from them.  It was only when the other three passed over a few of the drinks they had ordered, did Louis break out of his Harry-induced state.

They didn’t seem to mind that the two of them had been in their own little conversation the entire time though and they continued to chat happily away.

And Louis was especially glad for that when Harry spoke to him next, nudging into his side again to get his attention.  “Hey Lou… here’s my ring back…  I think your mom bought it?”  Louis stared down at the silver band the younger lad was suddenly extending towards him.  It was still dangling off of his necklace’s chain and Louis couldn’t take his eyes off of it.

A few moments passed before he was able to figure out how to respond.  Clearing his throat, “You sure you don’t want to, like… keep it?”  He bit down on his cheek continuing to stare at the jewelry.  “I don’t think she wants it back...”

It was another minute or two before Harry was responding, hesitantly, “No that’s okay…  That’d be a bit weird, don’t you think?”  He gave a tiny chuckle, crinkling his nose for an uncertain moment.  He was adorable.

Yet the line of Louis’ mouth fell anyways, as he pressed his lips together.  “I suppose…” 

He took the ring in his palm, where it’d previously been settled against Harry’s chest, glancing down at the silver sheen before gently stuffing it into his pocket, chain and all.  It didn’t seem that Harry had wanted to keep that part of it either and though it added extra weight, it could hardly have been more than an ounce or so.  It wasn’t the actual mass that had Louis’ attention continually drawing back to it, but rather its significance. 

He and Harry really were no longer engaged.  The two of them really were nothing more than just friends.

The two matching rings sat side by side in Louis’ pocket, and he found it harder to involve himself in what the other lads were saying when he shifted and could feel them there.  He hoped his internal distress wasn’t too noticeable, but it probably was because the only time, the rest of the night, that his smile hadn’t been forced was when Harry was nudging into his side or squeezing his knee under the table, or giving him that sweet, soft smile of his.  At moments like those, Louis’ pulse picked up, his eyes lighting up with delight at the attention. 

And he’d felt warm all over when Harry did those things. 

But when the younger man turned his attention to one of the other lads, Louis quickly found himself reverting back to thinking about their rings again, often looking down at his pocket as if worried they would slip out.

He wanted to get Harry’s attention back; wanted to play with his hair or smooth the tension in his shoulders out, hook their ankles together under the table and hold his hand.

But Louis couldn’t do any of those things with the younger man; would probably _never_ be able to do any of those things with him.  Not anymore at least.  There was a burning sensation in his heart at the notion.  He wanted _so_ badly.

He wondered whether Harry could ever want those things with him too…

He really, really hoped that one day he could.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the wait! This chapter is super cliché... (and I'm really sorry if it sucks), but enjoy!

Louis was being weird.  Again.  He couldn’t help himself though.  Ever since Harry had given him his ring back the weekend before, he had felt the urge, the _need_ , to bring it with him wherever he went.  No matter the place, Louis always found himself stuffing the two engagement bands into the back of his pocket.

He honestly didn’t know why he did it.  It wasn’t as if they were needed, and the reminder only made him feel disappointed by the fact that he _wasn’t_ engaged to Harry and he _wasn’t_ his boyfriend either.

He was _only_ his friend.

And though he was still able to hang out with Harry as _only_ his friend, and had done so every day since getting the other boy’s ring back, he still wanted more.

He was so wrapped up in his mind, trying to _not_ think of exactly how much more he wanted with Harry (to no avail) that it startled him when the very boy himself hopped into the passenger’s seat of his car.  It had barely been a moment since Louis had pulled into his driveway and the speed at which Harry had gotten there made it seem as if he had been so excited to see Louis, he’d been watching for his arrival.

Louis was very pleased that Harry seemed to be excited to see him too, but he would’ve been even happier if he had just had a little bit more time to prepare himself.

After a sweet hello and a charming smile the younger lad immediately began fiddling around with his radio, as Louis had grown accustomed.  And the familiarity of Harry’s roaming definitely did not have him thinking about those wedding rings in his back pocket again.

“Nice headscarf, Curly.”  He noted, causing the lad’s grin to grow even larger than it’d previously been.    Before the boy was reaching up to run a hand over the soft green material, blushing and flicking his eyes back to Louis.  “Thanks Lou…  Nice face.”  He beamed as if that had been the best come back he’d ever been able to come up with.

Louis couldn’t even bring himself to roll his eyes at the quip, too powerless to stop a fond expression from taking over in its place.  He moved to back out of the driveway, eyes averted so Harry wouldn’t be able to see his face, but when he glanced back over to Harry after a few minutes of quiet, peaceful driving he could see the younger man biting his lip.  Before immediately meeting his gaze as if he’d been continually observing Louis’ profile the entire beginning of their drive.

Louis would’ve teased him about it if he wouldn’t have done the same exact thing had their roles been reversed.  He was glad he had the road to keep him occupied or he surely would’ve been all over Harry, fixing his shirt, flicking his ear, kissing his cheek.  Anything he could possibly do.

Louis cleared his throat and Harry stopped pretending he wasn’t blatantly staring, turning almost fully to the side to watch Louis’ face in wait.  “So any ideas where we should go?”

Harry chewed on his lip again, trying to sound like he hadn’t been thinking about it for the past few hours, though he’d texted Louis earlier stating that he had.  Louis was so unbelievably endeared.  “Yah, actually.  I was wondering if you wanted to go… to the beach!”

“The beach?” Louis laughed, glancing outside the window to state what he’d assumed was obvious, “The sun’s already setting and the nearest beach is like forty-five minutes away...”

Harry considered this for a moment before shrugging, losing his hesitance altogether to mutter, “I guess it’s a good thing you like to speed, then.”  He smiled in anticipation, messing with Louis’ GPS as Louis turned the car around to head in the correct direction.

And it didn’t seem to take as long to get there as Louis had thought it would, as he looked out the window to watch pavement turn into sand and buildings dwindle down until the only thing to see was clear, open sky.

Harry, who’d been listening intently as they drove, to Louis’ tales of his adventures overseas, quickly grew in excitement when they could see the water stretching out beside the edge of the road.  It didn’t take long before he was forcing Louis to pull over, and an even shorter amount of time before he was scurrying out of the car and onto the asphalt below.

Louis quickly followed after him, smiling as Harry spread his arms out to soak up the last few streams of warmth from the sun.  When he could tear his eyes away from Harry’s figure, he looked out across the deserted beach, eyes catching on a dock settled deep in the ocean’s current a little distance away.

“Hey Haz, you wanna watch the sunset over there?”  He pointed out the wooden structure and Harry nodded almost instantly, excitement obvious in the pull of his smile and the crinkle of his nose.  The younger man initiated a race to see who could get there first and of course he had won— damn those long legs— but Louis didn’t even care as he plopped down next to Harry at the end of the dock, their feet hanging over the edge, above a five foot drop into steady waves below.

The ocean stretched farther than Louis could see, past the horizon until it blended into the darker blues of the sky, the reflection of pink and orange clouds mirroring it like glass.  Louis could feel the warmth of Harry beside him and he couldn’t stop himself from shouldering into the younger boy’s side, to catch his attention; merely to grin at him and get a smile in return.

He thought Harry was prettier than any sunset could ever be.

The sound of the ocean water lapping against the wood of the dock, laving at the weathered posts, was background music to the sound of their laughter as they spoke while the sun finished its descent.  It was infectious, making Harry smile and laugh and Louis was drowning in it, wanting to make the other man happy for as long as he could.  For forever, maybe.

And though the thought was fleeting, it had been there, and Louis knew he meant it.  And when they finally managed to settle down, long after the sun had disappeared for good, the two of them were surrounded only with the darkening blue sky, the watery light of the moon, and the warmth of one another.

Louis cleared his throat after a few moments of silence, feigning nonchalance as he kicked his feet back and forth beneath him.  It really wasn’t all that nonchalant.  “You know… Liam told me something the other day and I was wondering if it was true…” He only waited a beat before continuing, keeping his expression neutral.  “He said you have a really good memory, even when you’re _really_ drunk… Is that right?”

It was a few long moments before Harry was responding.  He seemed skeptical.  “Liam told you that…?”  And another few minutes before he was finally saying what Louis had been hoping to hear.  “Yes, I suppose it’s true…”

Louis grinned to himself, lilting out a breezy, “Interesting…” before waiting a beat to continue, “Do you remember the night of our bachelor party…?”  And he tried to sound as casual as he could muster in the silence that had quickly settled between them.

But he had to know.  Ever since he’d learned there was a strong possibility Harry did remember, and that things weren’t going to be awkward between them, he had to find out whether it was only him feeling the way he was around the younger.  He was willing to take a chance; he _had_ to take a chance.

By the stilted silence and unconvincing, “Uh, no…” that fell from Harry’s lips, Louis was pretty sure he’d gotten his answer.  When he glanced over, even with the clouds shrouding the light of the moon, Louis could see a faint blush painted high on the apples of Harry’s cheeks.  Harry continued looking forward, eyes shifting across the horizon as if searching for a ship or light out on the water.  Anything to distract him from their conversation.

“No?”  Louis asked, though he sounded considerably amused given Harry’s reaction.  He couldn’t be bothered to stop the slow grin budding onto his mouth, as Harry continued to fidget, squinting to emphasize that his focus was on the water and not on Louis’ smile.

“Nope…”  Harry responded, popping the ‘p’ at the end of the word, as he reached up to fix the headscarf on his wonderfully curly head.

“Nope.”  Louis repeated, just the same, shifting to help Harry fix the scarf. Mostly for the reason to get closer; and to move Harry’s arm out of the way so he could continue grinning at the adorably flustered expression on his face.  Louis lifted one of his legs from where it was dangling off the dock to nudge his knee into Harry’s thigh, until he was looking back at him.  “Do you want me to remind you what happened?”

The words seemed to get caught in the air, suspended between them as Louis waited for Harry’s response.  He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, chest tight with anticipation, until Harry exhaled his own, quiet, “Yes.”

The soft word prodded at Louis’ mind as he regarded the younger man; dark green eyes mirroring the color of the ocean steadily thrumming against the wooden posts beneath them, crashing against Louis’ still beating heart.  He had to swallow against the sudden dryness in his throat.

A hesitant smile found his mouth as he moved again, slowly, shifting until he was no longer sitting beside the younger man but rather in his lap, legs astride his hips, facing him with a cautious look.  He waited for Harry to change his mind, to tell him to get off or to push him away, but those gentle hands only touched Louis to settle on his waist, to keep him where he was.  “We were in the car… and you sat on my lap like this.”  He explained, waiting another tentative moment before a slightly larger smile was flitting across his face.  “Do you remember that?”

Harry grinned back, before biting down on his lower lip to stop himself.  He coyly shook his head, blush tinging his cheeks a lovely shade of warmth.  “Then what did I do?”  He asked, voice quiet and eager, delicately urging Louis to continue.

Louis breathed out an uneven chuckle, shifting only a little bit closer.  His tone was equally as hushed even as he teased the younger boy.  “Well, you couldn’t quite remember that I was your fiancé… and you kept asking me questions about your wedding…”  Clearly Harry remembered doing that much as his blush deepened and he pulled a sheepish expression.  “And you started purring like a cat at one point,” Louis added on, grinning in delight as the younger man groaned, tilting his head back in embarrassment.

“Maybe you shouldn’t remind me…”  He mumbled and Louis laughed again as he watched the moonlight soften the edges of Harry’s face, sharpen the pallor of his skin until he looked almost ghostly in the light.

“But we’re about to get to the good part…”  Louis hummed back, before nearing closer to where Harry had his neck presented to him.  He pressed a light kiss to the side of it, waiting again to see if his advances were unwarranted.  Harry had to have known what had been coming though, Louis was certain the younger lad remembered exactly what had happened the night of their bachelor party.

“Mmm, I suppose you should keep going then...”  Harry replied after a moment, eyes shut as Louis continued trailing slow kisses over his neck and up to his jaw.  He pulled back after a moment, waiting for Harry to look at him again so he could trace that delicate mouth with his eyes, press a tiny kiss to the corner of it like Harry had done to him.

He pulled away after lingering above the spot, but he could still feel the shaky exhale of Harry’s breath against his cheek.  “I… don’t remember that... you should do it again.”  Harry suggested and Louis let out another huff of laughter.

“Don’t remember that, my ass...  I guess you don’t remember what you did next either.”  He kissed at the edge of Harry’s lips again, at the younger’s request, before pulling away to blink at him, unconvinced.

“I may remember bits and pieces... it’s all a bit fuzzy though.”  It was obvious Harry was lying by the way he couldn’t seem to keep a straight face.  Louis shoved light-heartedly at his shoulder and Harry pinched at the skin of his waist in retaliation, sticking his tongue out at him for good measure.

Louis made a tsk-ing noise, shaking his head.  “Not yet, Harold.  You didn’t use your tongue until later.” And admitting so had the younger scrunching his nose up again, that lovely, embarrassed flush back on his cheeks as he muttered, indignantly, “Just shut up and kiss me already.”

“I would…”  Louis replied, fixing a lost curl by Harry’s ear as he leaned in again, “But only if you admit you remember what happened…”  He hesitated near Harry’s mouth for a moment, dampening his own dry lips with a swipe of his tongue, smiling as sweetly as he could.  He backed away before doing anything stupid, though; like kissing him.  He had a point to prove.

Harry kept his gaze for a few long minutes, ineffectively trying to stare him down.  But Louis wasn’t going to let him get his way that easily.  Even if he did look ridiculously cute and Louis _really_ wanted to kiss him.

Harry finally breathed out a heavy sigh before mumbling, so quietly it would’ve been hard to understand had Louis not known what to be listening for, “Okay I remember…I guess.”

“What was that?”  He asked, turning his head to prop his ear by Harry’s mouth.  Harry nipped at it lightly before repeating, just slightly more articulate than he’d been before, “…fine, I remember what I did...”  He hardly waited another moment before continuing, “Now kiss me?”

Louis grinned in victory before placing a few very tiny kisses against Harry’s lips, gripping at his jaw to hold his face still.

When he pulled back, Harry was giving him a pouty look.  “Not like that… c’mon.” he mumbled, pulling Louis tighter to his body.

Louis nudged his nose into Harry’s, grinning like a mad man.  “Just doing what _you_ did, Styles.”  It was only a few more moments of Harry grumbling into his cheek before he was giving in and moving the few centimeters back to his mouth.  He briefly brushed his own against Harry’s before he was shifting forward to align the two of them in a slow press of lips; kissing the boy like he’d wanted to ever since their bachelor party.

Harry made a contented noise, murmuring serenely against Louis’ mouth, “Now tongue?”

If Louis hadn’t breathed out a huff of laughter he might’ve been ready for Harry to follow the curve of his smile with said tongue, licking into his lax mouth without hesitation.  Louis hummed around Harry’s movements, reveling in the contact.

He found himself being pulled down as the younger man laid back against the slats of wood beneath them, his shins bracketing Harry’s thighs as he kept their lips attached for as long as he could.  He continued their playfully delicate kiss, stroking his tongue along Harry’s own; exploring everywhere he’d yet to before.

He thumbed along the skin of Harry’s cheek, feeling the warm flush beneath his palm, and he was absolutely positive he would’ve never stopped kissing the younger man if he didn’t have to.

But he had to pull away to inhale sharp air into his demanding lungs. Harry spoke then, voice rough and hushed like the thundering of Louis’ pulse beneath his skin.  “Louis… Is this a date?”

And he hadn’t expected the question as he stared down at the younger lad, the concentration of Harry’s gaze making it impossible for him to look away even as he balked.  “Umm, I, uh, well, I don’t know…  It could be.”

“I think it should be.”  Harry responded immediately, and his hair was fanned out around his head, like an angel’s halo, and Louis thought he was beautiful; so unbelievably beautiful.

“You think it should be…”  He repeated back after a moment, as if the words had yet to wrap around his sluggish brain.  The younger lad nodded, pushing himself up onto his elbows, to catch Louis’ gaze that had momentarily drifted away.

Harry continued to speak slowly, as if hoping he would be understood, even though, to Louis, nothing was processing.  Harry bit down on his lower lip, brows knitted together, anxiously.  He waited for Louis to look at him before mumbling softly, just above the thrumming of the tide, “Louis… will you… be my boyfriend?”

And Louis’ mind had to echo the term over, and over in his head as it tried to register.  Boyfriend.  _Boyfriend_ …  Harry wanted to be his _boyfriend_.  Before he could respond, Harry was continuing, “I know you don’t do the whole ‘dating-thing’, but I just thought… I don’t know, that you might, give it a try… with me?” 

Louis swallowed down the thickness in his throat.  He could feel his palms growing clammy, his cheeks heating up.  “I don’t want to be… your boyfriend, Harry…”  He hesitated a moment as Harry’s expression grew grim, mouth slipping shut in a downturn of lips, eyes finding the wood by Louis’ ankle so he wouldn’t have to meet his gaze.  Louis reached behind himself with shaky hands, fitting his fingers around the cool metal in his pocket.  He pulled the small band out; Harry’s ring, still chained and waiting to be returned to its rightful owner.  The younger’s eyes immediately found the piece of silver, sparkling like pearl from where the moon’s light hit its surface.

Louis let out a cautious, uneven breath, “But more… I could be more…”  He only allowed himself to suck in a shaky breath before he was continuing; before Harry could say anything, or look up to meet his gaze. “…And I know this may sound crazy, but I don’t even care.  Because I don’t want to be your boyfriend.  I want to be… everything with you… I want everything with you.”

After a moment, he reached out to shakily place the necklace around Harry’s neck, where it should’ve been; the band finding its proper place next to Harry’s heart.  Louis wondered if it was beating as quickly as his own. He waited for Harry to look up from the jewelry, his mouth parted with shock, before he swallowed, breathing out, with all of the affection he felt for the younger flooding through him, “Harry _Edward_ Styles, will you marry me?  For real this time?”

“Are you serious?” Harry finally squeaked, sitting up fully so he was only a few mere inches from Louis’ face, hands gripping his hips so tightly that the older boy couldn’t possibly have fallen off, or have pulled away.

“I’d get down on one knee, but I’m already on two...”  Louis chuckled, though it was weak at best.  He took another breath, “And Harry, I’m in love with you…  Just in case that, you know, affects your answer at all…” He was able to muster up a small smile, though Harry was still staring at him like he couldn’t believe anything he had just said.

“Be my spouse?”  Louis finally asked, biting down on his lip to stop himself from continuing to ramble on.  He was flushed and finding it hard to breathe at a normal rate as he waited for Harry’s response.

And he was practically blind-sided, almost faint when Harry grabbed his face and began peppering kisses all over his lips, and nose, and jaw.  “Yes, yes, yes.” he’d been able to breathe out between kisses, and Louis felt dizzied all at once, everything floaty and light and he was pretty positive he was going to pass out at any moment.

The younger beamed, kissing him again and again, and only pulling back to show off that glorious smile, his dimples out on full display.

Louis was sure if he didn’t die from a lack of oxygen due to Harry’s mouth, he would’ve died from an overabundance of emotion.  And love.  So much love for Harry, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it all.  He reached up to the collar of Harry’s shirt, searching for the clasp of his necklace.

He fumbled with the small hook, as Harry continued to distract him with his lips, and only after a few moments was he finally able to remove the dumb thing and take the ring from its chain.  He groped around for Harry’s hand and when he found it, the younger lad finally stopped his kissing to move back and watch Louis place the band onto his finger.   “I love you.”  Louis hummed again, and he wasn’t quite sure he would ever get over saying it to the other man, whose smile only grew larger as he repeated himself.

“Do you have yours?”  Harry asked, indicating the ring and growing even more excited when Louis nodded, smiling as he reached for his own identical band.  When Harry slipped it onto his hand, Louis couldn’t contain himself and left a kiss on Harry’s nose and then another one on his right dimple.

They continued grinning at each other in silence for a few long moments before Louis was shifting to get up, extending his hand out towards the younger man.  “Do you want to go for a walk?”  There really was no point in asking though; he was going to make Harry do it anyways.  Because he wanted to walk along the shore with his new fiancé.  Even if the notion was sappy as shit.

“Only if you keep holding my hand...”  Harry smiled, smugly, as if knowing Louis had no intention of ever letting go.  He was right, of course, now that they were going to be getting _married_.  Louis was so unbelievably ecstatic with the thought of keeping Harry for forever; it was weird, like he’d just experienced whiplash on everything he used to believe about love.  He’d denied its existence for so long he wasn’t quite sure if his brain was on strike and picketing against him or the real reason he was feeling floaty and not quite put-together was because of the knowledge that Harry wanted him too.  Either way, he didn’t seem to mind.

And when they reached the end of the dock, the two of them quickly kicked off their shoes, leaving them on the wooden planks to run to the water’s edge and toe at the cold white foam curling over the damp sand beneath it. 

When they actually began to walk, feet dipping into the cold water and creating prints in the sand, Louis started thinking about all of the wedding preparations they still needed to do, and needed to fix.  He realized Harry must’ve been pondering the same thing as the younger lad breathed out a puff of laughter, mumbling, “I guess it’s a good thing I never told my relatives the wedding was off…”

And that really only made Louis _that_ much more entertained.  “You promised your mom you’d do that _too_?”

Harry grinned, leaning over to bump their connected palms against Louis’ hip.  “We’re going to have to tell them the wedding’s back on…”

Louis nodded, knowing there was no one else Harry could’ve been referring to other than their mothers.  The two women were going to freak out when they realized Harry and Louis, who had been making every single step of their marriage process a living hell, actually wanted to get married.  They would probably kill them.

Louis paused a moment before he was smiling, possibly a bit demonically.  Harry looked down at him with a mildly worried expression. “I have an idea…”  Louis began, his smile only growing larger as the idea continued flourishing in his mind.  He waited another moment to create the suspense, before speaking again. “Let’s _not_ tell them.”

Harry tipped his head to the side, letting out an uneasy laugh.  “What?”

Louis was getting excited as he continued, tugging Harry along with him, “It’ll be a secret!  Just us two will know…” He gestured between their chests, sneakily leaning closer to make sure no one on the completely empty beach could overhear them.  And because Harry smelled nice.  But that was beside the point.  He grinned as he continued his scheming, “And maybe Niall, Zayn, and Liam.  Maybe.” 

He couldn’t help but feel like a proper genius for the plan, because, even though his mother had apologized for trying to force him and Harry together, and he had already forgiven her, Louis almost didn’t want either her or Anne to know that their arrangement had ended up working.  He had never denied that he wasn’t a brat.  “And maybe a few months down the line, we’ll tell our parents.”

He couldn’t help but add on another simple ‘maybe’ to the end of his statement.  He’d quite enjoy letting his mom sweat for a bit and repent for trying to force him into something he originally hadn’t wanted.  He’d quite enjoy that a lot.

He turned to face the younger lad and it was only a few moments before Harry, who was squinting thoughtfully into the space ahead of them, slowly nodded as well, shifting to face him with the same narrowed gaze. “You’re an evil, evil man, Louis Tomlinson...”

Louis grinned at the comment, tugging on Harry’s hand.  “Well you’re the one marrying this ‘evil man’, Harry Styles.”

And Harry’s smile grew until it couldn’t possibly have been comfortable where it took over the entirety of his face.  “Excuse me; it’s not Harry Styles...” Louis quirked a brow as Harry’s eyes sparkled.  “It’s Tomlinson now.”

He shook his head, prodding his free hand at Harry’s waist. “Oh is it?” He poked him again, smiling, and with another poke, grinning larger, he continued to question, “Is it?  Is it?!”

Harry nodded, laughing on his ‘yes’ as he smacked Louis’ hand away with a threatening, “Don’t poke me.”  Louis wasn’t afraid.  He was too high off of Harry and love to be afraid.

He did stop though, to reach up on his toes and kiss those wonderfully beautiful lips again, “I love you, Harry Tomlinson.”

“I love you too, fiancé.”  Harry replied sweetly.  And Louis never wanted to not hear those pretty words being said from Harry’s mouth ever again.  Because Harry was his _fiancé_ and Louis couldn’t have been any happier about their turn of events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope you guys somewhat liked the chapter... but just a heads up, the next (and last) chapter won't be done for a few weeks. I had 10 pages written until I decided I wanted to do something else with the story instead, and thus I have to change it all. But good news, there will most likely be a second part to the story! So yay for that. Thanks to everyone for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, Oh My GOSH! It's the last chapter!!!!! It was literally like pulling teeth trying to force myself to write and edit this... So I'm terribly sorry for the wait, but I do hope you enjoy!

“Say it again…”

“Fiancé…” Harry’s voice was so unbearably fond even over the humming of the phone.

And Louis was so unbelievably in love. “I love you.” He murmured over the line, feeling extraordinarily euphoric, “And I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye fiancé.” Harry hummed again before he was ending the call with a soft kissing sound. Louis grinned down at the screen of his phone as it went black, quite positive it was physically impossible for him to stop his facial muscles from forming the huge, slightly painful smile on his lips. He found he really didn’t care all that much though. Because it was going to be the best Goddamn day of his life, and he could look like a maniac if he wanted to.

Nevertheless he did try to school his expression into a more neutral one as he headed up the final few steps of stairs in his parent’s house. He shook his head to put himself in the right mindset, before knocking lightly on his parent’s bedroom door.

There was a muffled response, sounding awfully like a ‘go away’ and Louis, undeterred, pushed the door open to find the maker of the noise. He glanced around in search of his mother, noting immediately that all the lights were off, the few rays of midday sun seeping through the curtains giving the room a pale yellow color. It wasn’t early morning anymore though and Louis was only mildly surprised his mother was still in bed. He moved further in, glancing around for his any signs of the woman.

He almost jumped when her muffled voice came from somewhere behind him, “Why are you dressed up?” and he turned to see a misshapen lump of blankets on the bed, his mother slowly extracting her head from the sheets as she shifted further up to gage him better. Her hair was mussed and Louis could tell she hadn’t been out of bed the entire day, a clear indicator that she was not having a good one.

He merely shrugged at her question; he wasn’t that dressed up. Not really anyways. Though he was wearing a nicer shirt than his normal muscle tank, and instead of sweats he had on a relatively pristine pair of skinny jeans. Okay, so maybe he was a lot more dressed up than he normally would be. He moved a bit closer, “I’m taking you out, that’s why. Put on your best frock...” His mother looked skeptical at the statement, pulling the blankets back over her head after staring at him for a few awkward moments. Louis knew the rule; lazy ‘I hate life’ Sundays meant no going out. He pulled them off of her anyways, encouraging, “C’mon mom… It’s Saturday. And I’m being serious.”

She glared at him, eyes forming slits that would’ve frightened him off if he was maybe five. Not twenty six. “No, I don’t want to go out.” She turned around pulling the corner of the blankets over her shoulders again, complaining as if _she_ were Louis and _not_ his mother, “Louis, just let me lie here.”

He paused a moment, pursing his lips, feeling momentarily guilty. “I’m guessing this means you know what day today is then…”

She made a sniffling noise, “Of course I do… It’s the day you and Harry were _supposed_ to be getting married.” She waited a moment to tack on, “Which means I’m not getting up.”

He heaved out another small sigh, tapping his foot restlessly against the hardwood floor. “C’mon, mom. Shower, get dressed. I’m going to take you out to a really fancy meal… to I guess, umm, apologize for being… the way that I am.”

Louis smiled when his mother shifted slightly, before, “You don’t need to apologize Boo. I love you. I will always love you.” And another second later, “I had just hoped that you’d be getting married relatively soon… to bring me home some grandbabies.”   He wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear her last comment. He also wasn’t sure he would ever be bringing her home grandbabies; the thought of which had never really crossed his mind before, as he’d had no intentions of even getting married prior to meeting Harry, let alone having children with someone.

He shook his head before making another frustrated noise. And another whiny complaint, “Mommm, pleaseee. Get upppp.” It seemed to convince her enough as she gave in, shifting onto her feet and stretching her creaky bones with a huffed, “Fine. I’m moving.”

Louis grinned as he guided her towards the bathroom. “You won’t regret it mom. This restaurant’s food is fantastic...” He put a loofah into her hands and her favorite bar of soap for good measure before he was shutting the door to the bathroom behind him, walking back out into the main room. He practically skipped into his mother’s closet next to pick out an outfit for her to wear and he made sure to text the boys, and Harry, the step of the process he was in. Get mother up and showered, check.

It didn’t take too terribly long for her to finish and get changed before Louis was shuffling her into his car. She still looked forlornly out the window every other second and sighed too many times to count on one hand, but she did pinch his cheek and continue to participate in their conversation. That was always a good sign.

And when they finally made it to a table in the restaurant, after ordering their food and drinks, Louis tried his best to listen to his mother ramble on about his sisters, and husband, and Louis’ cancelled wedding. But he found that it was rather difficult to focus on what she was saying when all his brain really wanted to think about was Harry.

He cleared his throat, grabbing her attention from where she’d been, most likely, scrutinizing the tea. He could agree, it tasted a bit off. “So… mom. You know how I’m going to be starting to work full-time for dad in like a month, right? Not part-time like I’ve been doing…” She gave him a nod, eyebrows twitching together. It was almost as if she could tell he was about to ask her for something. “Well, I was thinking… that it might be a good idea to move out.”

And he almost gave her enough time to balk at him and respond, but he cut her off before she could, continuing, “And actually, I sort of already put down a payment for an apartment. Actually sort of already have it leased and everything…” He cleared his throat, “I was hoping you could help me pay for it? Just until I make enough to handle it myself. And make enough to pay you back for the help...”

But instead of looking put out by his request, though she probably wouldn’t have even if he’d asked her for the money to purchase the playboy mansion, she grinned; quite largely.

“You did all of this by yourself?!” And seeing as he’d never shown much initiative in anything regarding his life before (except for maybe annoying her), he wasn’t shocked that she was surprised. It wasn’t his fault he’d suddenly wanted to be responsible and get his own place though. Once Harry had said yes to his marriage proposal he’d immediately wanted to get them an apartment to share. Preferably one Harry would love with a nice, big kitchen and large, open windows. And a big bed. That was especially important to have.

He nodded shortly at her questioning tone, digging into his food when it arrived.

And she merely continued staring at him with a gleam in her eyes, even as she sipped at her own soup. “Of course, baby... Your father and I would love to help you pay for your apartment! Where is it?” And with that, they delved into all of the rather boring specifics, his mother insisting on knowing everything there was to know about his new place— why he’d chosen it, where it was located, whether she needed to buy him furnishings or if it came with— so many questions that he was already starting to regret bringing it up at all.

When he finally had a moment to breathe, and a moment to check his phone he realized, with a start, that time had passed a lot quicker than he’d thought it would. Without acting suspiciously, he encouraged his mother to finish her meal so that he could pay and they could get going. He didn’t want to be late.

And when they’d made it back to her house, with a quick kiss to the cheek, and only a momentary sting of guilt, he left his mother at the door, immediately thrumming with the excitement of what the rest of his afternoon entailed. That of which was his wedding, and the moment he’d been daydreaming about since the night Harry had told him yes.

He was so eager he hardly knew what to do with himself, and when he found Niall waiting for him, outside of the room Harry was in, with a big smile breaking across his face, Louis was bouncing on his feet.

Everything felt as if it was moving in a rush, then, as Niall yanked him into a tight hug with a quick, “Alright Lou, you ready?” And he was _so_ beyond ready. When Niall pulled back, he was grinning wildly and with a hasty few nods from Louis, the blond reached forward to hold the door open for him.

And Louis’ eyes immediately landed on Harry, standing at the front of the room, and he felt his chest thrum, his heart tugging with so much affection at the sight of his fiancé. They grinned, a bit manically, at each other and Louis flexed his fingers at his sides as he took the few strides up to where Harry was standing. He could hear Liam taking pictures with Harry’s camera, and he could see Zayn give him a smile when he glanced over to the three of his friends. The only other person in the room was the officiant they hired, smiling at the both of them, and waiting only a moment before beginning.

Louis found it difficult to look away from Harry, as stunning as he was, but he did spare a few glances at his friends, noting that Niall kept giving him thumbs up whenever they made eye contact and Liam was starting to get a bit teary eyed, sniffling into a tissue. It was hard for Louis to suppress a snort at that.  And when he turned back to see Harry grinning at him with curious, squinted eyes, it seemed he wasn’t paying very much attention to their officiant either.

Louis tuned back in to what was being said and they muddled through their vows, excitement causing him to stumble a little over his words; nervousness making Louis’ palms grow clammy. He was _actually_ getting married.

Taking Harry’s hands in his own, Louis took a quick breath, trying to steady himself by watching as Harry’s lips twitched into an even larger smile. And Louis looked back up to his eyes as he answered the officiant’s question, with a quiet, “I do.”

And Harry followed him a few moments later, his own quiet affirmation filling the silence. Louis was pretty sure he could hear Liam sobbing in the back of the room.

It wasn’t until the officiant said those words, “You may now kiss the groom,” that Louis, like so many times before, traversed the gap between them to kiss his husband, as chastely and as sweetly as he could. Loud applause filled the room not a moment later, whoops of congratulations from Niall and ecstatic chatter coming from the other two.

When Louis pulled back to grin at them, Harry was grabbing his face to smack another wet kiss to his mouth. The three erupted into even louder cheers at that and Louis couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all; he was officially a married man. It was most certainly the happiest moment of his life and after he was finished being hugged by Zayn and Niall from behind, Louis signed the papers he needed to, declaring that his and Harry’s marriage was valid.

And taking a step back from the officiant, Louis felt electric where his hand was entwined with Harry’s. He led them back through the building and towards the exit, knowing their friends were following close behind and he couldn’t bring the smile down from his lips, the weather seeming to imitate him as the sun flowed down in waves of warmth.

Louis tossed his keys to Zayn to drive his car back to their new apartment for him as he stepped up to the chauffeured vehicle they’d rented just for the occasion. Louis opened the door of the backseat and with another kiss to Harry’s wonderful lips he slipped inside, pulling his baby in with him, glad the partition in the vehicle was already up.

And it wasn’t even a moment of the door being shut behind them that Harry’s mouth was back on his, kissing him with a fervor that Louis was very happy to return. In fact, Louis didn’t want Harry to ever stop kissing him.

He was only able to work through the jolts of exhilaration rushing through him by laughing giddily into Harry’s lips, and then into his chin and jaw, holding him close with open palms cupping his cheeks. “You’re my husband!!!”

He felt so, so blissed at the thought, like an open vein where they touched, shocks of excitement rolling through him at the words; at Harry’s nose nudging into his cheek, large hands trailing over his chest, and delicate fingers roaming along his collarbones.

“I’m your husband!” was Harry’s quiet response, before their lips were, once again, attached.

It was a miracle that Louis didn’t already have Harry laid out beneath him on the leather seats, pressing him down; skin on skin and heart beats thrumming together until they’d be unable to tell one’s beating pulse from the other’s. “I love you.” Louis pressed into Harry’s sharp jaw, traveling down his neck to give Harry’s lips a break, allowing Harry to repeat the phrase in turn, babble it out as he grew increasingly more turned on, laughter bubbling up from his beautiful mouth at how ridiculous they were being, acting like teenagers who were about to get off in the back of a car.

And wait, they had a dinner to get to. _And_ pictures to be taking. Oh God, Louis had forgotten about that, they were going to look like a mess. He wasn’t able to pull away in time to fix their mussed hair, and let the blush settle on their cheeks before the car was coming to a stop and Liam was opening the door for them. With a questioning, “Oh my god, you guys didn’t have sex, did you?”

Louis could admit, they did look a bit guilty; the flush on Harry’s face, and the few trails of wet kisses Louis had left on his neck were a bit incriminating. Harry’s high pitched laughter also didn’t help as he shoved Liam out of the way to get out of the car. “No, Liam, God.”

Louis cleared his throat as he also made his way out, reaching up to flick his fringe aside, before he remembered it was styled up and couldn’t be touched without being ruined. He rolled his shoulders nonchalantly as he followed Liam and Harry towards the park where they would be taking a few last minutes photos before heading to their dinner reservation.

It was a relatively quick and painless process; if Louis didn’t count the five minutes they’d tried getting the camera back from Niall when he stole it to take selfies of himself. And the almost ten minutes it took them to get a passerby to snap a picture of all five of them together where Liam _wasn’t_ blinking and Zayn _wasn’t_ randomly looking off into the distance. Louis loved his friends, he really did. But they were all a pain in his ass too.

And with the time of their reservation finally upon them, Niall headed the charge towards the food, the restaurant only a block or two away from the park, Louis lacing his hand with Harry’s to lead him to their celebratory dinner.

Once they were sat down, the two of them ordered the most expensive things on the menu—since Liam, Zayn, and Niall agreed that they would pay—and they laughed and ate to their hearts content. Niall, of course, had to give a best man’s speech, prompting the other two to come up with something twice as bad on the fly.

All three of which were ridiculous, Niall claiming that if it weren’t for him, the two grooms would never have met. And though he was sort of right, since he’d ratted on Louis to his mom, the blond didn’t need to be so smug about it. Louis made sure to jab him in the side, pleasantly, for that when he sat back down.

And it was honestly the best night of his life. He and Harry shared a chocolate dessert that evening, and on the way out their more mature best men saved them from having to hear lewd comments about consummating their marriage from Niall, as Liam and Zayn did their best to try to stop him from talking.

It was with final goodbyes to them all, hugs, and last minute congratulations that he and Harry got back into their chauffeured car to be taken to their new apartment.

And Louis was immediately nervous upon getting back. He was fidgety and his palms were clammy, and yet he still couldn’t wipe the grin from his face. The sun was ducking low beneath the horizon then, and Louis couldn’t even believe how perfect everything was. How perfect his husband was, where Harry was grinning back at him, holding his hand tight on their way into the building and through the main hall.

Louis was still jittery as they waited in the elevator, but once the doors closed and Harry pounced on him, it was much easier to forget he was feeling nervous. And fortunately no one entered the elevator they were using as they were still attached by the lips even when they stumbled out, Louis laughing into their kisses, breathless and content. They stopped outside their apartment door and Louis was quick to unlock it, inclined to continue their prior actions as soon as possible.

But it didn’t seem Harry was quite on the same page, the younger man stopping him before he could enter and when Louis looked back, Harry had a small grin on his face, a sneaky little smile. Louis immediately breathed out a huff. “ _No_ , we are not.”

He glanced back at the doorway, the heavy door now pushed out of the way, “You don’t seriously want me to try to carry you over the threshold, do you?”

“Well, I could carry you.” Harry was smiling down at him then and Louis tried to bite down a bubbling laugh, another ridiculously large grin.

“No.”

“Lou, we _have_ to.” Harry reached for him, pulling Louis’ back against his chest and leaning his chin down to rest on top of his shoulder, snickering in his ear as they both stared towards the door imagining the outcome of their decision, if Louis were to say yes. “Please?” He kissed at Louis’ cheek, warm breath hitting his ear as Harry whispered the request again, rocking them side to side in an attempt of cuddling the answer out of him.

Louis reached up to grab at Harry’s arms around his chest, heaving out a heavy sigh. He had yet to be able to wipe the smile from his lips. “Fine.”

Harry gave him another kiss, smirking into his cheek as he cheered. Louis let out another laugh as they situated so Louis could jump up into Harry’s arms ‘bridal’ style. Apparently groom style then, as Harry lifted him surprisingly easily.

“Ready, husband?” Harry asked, grinning down at him. Louis pinched his cheek, pressing another quick kiss to his smile with his own, “ready.”

They walked in then, and as anticlimactic as it was, they couldn’t stop laughing when Louis’ shoelace got caught on the door lock and the darkness surrounding them didn’t help Harry from tripping and almost dropping Louis. More than a few times. “Oh God, I can’t see…” Harry laughed, shifting his arms to lift Louis further up his chest where he’d been slipping. Louis assuming he wasn’t as light as he’d first thought. “Where was the bedroom again?” Harry asked, apparently trying to be sly as Louis kicked his shoes off, leaving the one caught on the door.

Louis huffed out another laugh, using the blue hues of the city’s nightlife pouring through the windows to point to Harry’s left. “Trying to bed me already, Styles?”

“Absolutely.”

But before Harry could lead him in the direction that he’d pointed, and they grew distracted – for what he hoped was the rest of the night and a good portion of the next day, and possibly the entire week— Louis tried twisting his body in the opposite direction from where he’d pointed, “Wait,” squirming so Harry would let him down. “I got you a few things.”

“Presents?” Harry asked, immediately perking up from having grown solemn at having to let go of Louis in the first place.

“Yes. Presents.” Was his reply as Louis leaned up to kiss Harry again. Just because he could.

And when he pulled back, momentarily distracted by his husband’s pretty pink lips, Harry was quick to ask, “Was that it?” And Louis shook his head with a grin, before moving towards the wall to fumble for where he could’ve sworn there was a light switch, turning it on so that a dim warm light could fill the living room area. “Be right back.”

And when he returned, an envelope tight in his palm, Harry was not where he’d left him. Louis found him in the kitchen instead, dragging his hand over the marble of the counter, having begun to wander around their new place with a small smile gracing his mouth and bright, excited eyes tracing every surface. Louis stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around the man’s smaller waist to pull him to a stop, hooking his chin over Harry’s shoulder. He had to stretch on his tiptoes a bit, but he really didn’t mind.

Harry’s palm found his own when Louis slipped him the envelope, and when Harry pulled out the papers from inside, skimming over their pages, a happy grin quickly worked its way onto his beautiful features. “Adoption papers for those cats you liked…” Louis mumbled into his shoulder, watching Harry’s profile as a bright smile broke out on his cherry lips.

“Salt and Pen?” He asked, having remembered the ridiculous names they’d picked out for them, shuffling through the rest of the papers with an air of giddiness.

Louis nodded, though Harry wasn’t looking at him to see. “We can pick them up anytime… I was thinking maybe, sometime this week?” Harry glanced up from the papers, shifting around to look at him with a glint in his eyes and Louis only had a moment to prepare himself before Harry was springing on him again, tackling him to the ground.

Before Louis could process the ache in his bum, Harry was peppering his face with kisses, pressing an “I love you” into his cheek and another onto his lips. Louis had to struggle to pull his arms out from in between their bodies to cup Harry’s face and give him a proper kiss.

He let out a laugh, kissing Harry for a bit longer before nudging at the younger’s side with his knee to urge him up. “That’s actually not all… I have some more stuff too.” Harry quirked his eyebrow before looking Louis over, as if expecting him to magically pull his next gift out of nowhere. Louis grinned, walking past him, “C’mon.” He gestured over his shoulder, leading Harry to the master bedroom, and then through the connecting door into the master bathroom.

On the counter was a basketful of assorted soaps and bottles wrapped in cellophane; Harry’s eyes going wide as he stepped towards it, “Bath bombs, bubble bath soap, andcandles?!”

“ _And_ sensual lotions and oils.” Louis added on, grinning at Harry’s lovely reaction and the pretty blush coloring his cheeks. Harry’s nose scrunched up in endearment as he neared Louis again, reaching out for him. He let out a breath of laughter with a lopsided smirk, “I didn’t know I was marrying a sugar daddy.” Louis was pulled him in by his belt loops, as he mumbled, a bit bashfully, “Shut up, I just wanted to get you some stuff.”

“I love it. I love you,” Harry murmured, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to Louis’ lips. And with that, Louis was reminded that they had more important things to be doing as he tugged Harry towards the bedroom.

He allowed Harry to sit himself down on the edge of the bed upon entering the room, and neither of them moved, deciding instead to just stare at each other. It wasn’t until a wicked grin was breaking onto Harry’s mouth that Louis finally reached out to him, tangling his hands into those chocolate curls and curling his tongue into that pretty mouth.

Harry’s hands immediately found the buttons to his shirt, deftly undoing them as he pressed further into Louis’ lips. And his fingertips felt like fire where they pushed his shirt off, trailing so lightly over his bare skin, stroking tentatively over his collarbones, leaving a trail of heat where they went. Louis broke off from those velvet soft lips, a quiet moan following him as he traveled down to mouth at Harry’s neck, struggling to lift Harry’s shirt from his flushing skin, not wanting to back away from his jaw to do so.

“Pants off.” He mumbled voice pitching lower just from the sight of Harry leaning back on the bed, eyes blown with lust and tantalizing lips a soft pink, wet from Louis’ tongue. Louis stared unashamedly as Harry lifted his perfect, thin hips up to slip those tight, black pants off, shimmying against the sheets to rid them from the bed. When Harry cleared his throat, quirking his lips into a smirk when he noticed Louis was just standing there, continuing to stare at the way he was sprawled out in front of him, already looking debauched, Louis quickly shoved his own pants off, kicking them to the side as they’d already served their purpose. He hastily crawled onto the bed to get back to what he’d been doing earlier, moving up Harry’s inviting body, to reacquaint himself with the bottom lip Harry had coyly bitten beneath his teeth.

His eyes were glistening with want and Louis immediately reattached their lips, letting his hands wander down Harry’s heated chest to his waist, to the soft push of his love handles, massaging at the skin and falling just a little more in love when a giggle escaped from Harry’s lax lips at the tickle; the easy breath abruptly cutting off when Louis reached back up to circle the soft bud of his nipple. He let out a whimpered moan when Louis pinched lightly at the skin.

And Louis liked that reaction, he liked it a lot. And he momentarily wondered whether Harry’s nipples were sensitive.

He really hoped so.

“Think I want to kiss you forever…” Louis mumbled into his jaw, leaving kisses beneath the sharp bone to bite at the juncture there. Harry jerked beneath him when he traveled lower and found a particularly nice spot to suck on.

“I’m not a-adverse to that.” Harry’s voice hitched, his hands coming up to grip at Louis’ hair, his head tilting back further, asking for more. Louis grinned into his flushing skin, licking tiny kisses into his collarbones as he journeyed further down, “I figured you wouldn’t be…”

Harry’s grip on his hair tightened when Louis exhaled a hot breath over the nipple he’d teased earlier, and he smiled, before sticking his tongue out to flick curiously over it. “Jesus, fuck.” He huffed a laugh at that, unable to help the smile breaking across his face as he looked back up at Harry’s face, the other man’s eyes focused on the ceiling, his lips parted around the words he’d just let out.

“You okay, love?” He grinned further, leaning down again to kiss at the nub, gently sucking it into his mouth. Harry didn’t bother to respond, bucking hips and a quiet sigh his only reply. Louis reached down with the hand not working over Harry’s other nipple to touch over his hardening cock, still tucked away in those obscene black briefs. Harry exhaled a low moan that sounded vaguely like Louis’ name as he lifted his hips further into Louis’ palm.

At the insistence in which Harry moved into him, Louis made quick work of stripping them completely, grabbing a bottle of lube and the condom he’d placed on their bedside table earlier. Harry spared the items a quick, questioning look when Louis had shifted away to reach them, before he was frantically nodding his head with a muffled groan, yanking Louis back down onto his lips. Louis grinned into the warm heat of Harry’s mouth, taking his time to prep his husband, the tiny noises of approval urging him on.

And Louis suddenly felt a bit breathless, a bit lightheaded at the thought that he was about to have sex with Harry; with his husband. He’d never thought the moment would come; his stomach was rolling and his brain swam with the feeling fluttering in his chest, the heat rolling in his stomach as he pulled his fingers away from Harry, a shaky exhale meeting his lips at the movement.

Harry blinked up at him when Louis nudged their noses together, wanting to see those beautiful eyes on him again. And he stared down at the younger man for a few moments in the dimmed lighting, the low lights illuminating the soft color of Harry’s cheeks, the shining wet to his eyes as he looked up at his husband, lips parted on a breath as Louis slowly pressed in.

He reached for one of Harry’s hands, where it was scratching lightly at his shoulder blade to hold it in his own, down on the mattress as he increased their speed, low groans mixing with hushed exhales. It wasn’t long before Louis could feel that deep heat in his gut, quiet sounds and dirty kisses driving him closer to the edge. It was only a few more thrusts before Harry was coming with a broken whine and Louis was increasing his rhythm in the tight heat, chasing his orgasm as Harry murmured soft words into his ear.

With a grunt of Harry’s name and a sharp gasp, Louis shuddered through his own climax, a few expletives falling from his lips as he pressed lingering kisses to Harry’s jaw and mouth, breath heavy and warm on his skin.

When he calmed down enough to move, Louis pulled out, a small groan escaping Harry’s lips as he did so. And Louis shifted onto his back, blinking up at the ceiling as he tried to catch his breath.

That had been the best sex he’d had in a really long time. In fact, it might’ve been the best sex he’d had ever, and all because it had been with Harry. Louis really was in love.

He reached over after a moment, wiping Harry clean with a cloth he’d conveniently left by their bed the day before, pressing more kisses to his beautiful sated skin. And when he was done and it seemed Harry had finally gotten his own breath back, the younger man turned to blink at Louis, eyes wide and sparkling. “Again?” Harry whispered with a growing smile, voice laced with a tired contentedness Louis could feel seeping into his bones.

He breathed out a laugh, reaching over to trace the curve of Harry’s smile and press a knuckle into the dimple forming at the side of his cheek. “Again? Already?”

Harry grinned at him in turn, slowly raising an eyebrow, “Well, I thought you’d told your mom we were going to be christening the whole apartment so…” Louis huffed another laugh at the reminder of apartment searching with their mothers all of those months before, near the beginning of their relationship; how Louis had told his mother about their future sex life to annoy her. And possibly gross her out a bit while he was at it.

Louis glanced back over at his husband, catching his gaze; Harry’s curls were matted and his skin was flushed and covered with a sheen of sweat. He was perfect, dimples pressed deep into his cheeks, eyes sparkling with mirth. Louis nudged his toes into Harry’s shin, scooting closer to let their knees bump, their legs tangle under the sheets. He reached forward to trace the pads of his fingertips along the curve of Harry’s smile, to grip his chin, tilt him into another gentle kiss; press his lips to the dip in his cheek, and again at the edge of his jaw; at the space beneath his ear, “Well then I guess we better get started now.”

Harry giggled beneath him when he shifted, thigh pressing into his already spent cock. “Ack, I’m sensitive.” He didn’t seem very against it though, moving to allow Louis better positioning.

“I bet you like it like that, don’t you...” Louis mumbled back, settling further onto his husband; warm skin and wet kisses, easy and relaxed.

“Maybe.”   Harry replied. And they may have gone at it again, tangled in the sheets with breathless giggles swelling Louis’ heart. And afterwards, curled together, Louis may have held Harry close to his chest, nosing into his shoulder blade with sleepy kisses marking their skin, and he may have been the happiest he’d ever felt before, so unbelievably in love; falling into a contented sleep.

***

There was a rattling clang from somewhere in the distance. Louis sunk deeper into the comforter, tucking his head further into Harry’s warmth. “Louis?!” He heard being called from down the hall. “Where are you, love? I want to take you to breakfast.” It was a few more moments, his brows furrowing at the familiar tone. Again his name was called out, muffled slightly as it traveled down a long hall and through his shut door.

He bolted up at almost the same exact time as Harry, their limbs entwined, eyes wide in alarm. “Jesus. Fuck! It’s my mom.”

There were footsteps growing nearer, a happy, “I like the layout of the kitchen. Very chic.” Before Harry was stumbling out of bed, hitting his shin against the front of it as he scurried to pick up his briefs and the rest of their clothes, a few whispered cuss words coming out of his mouth as he slammed the closet door shut behind him. Right as Louis’ mother opened his bedroom door after an abrupt knock that really did nothing for his privacy.

Louis only had enough time to make sure his lower region was covered before he was looking up to meet a beaming face. “Good morning, sunshine.” She whispered as if she hadn’t just been shouting five seconds earlier.

And Louis rubbed at his face, heart beating a mile a minute. His mother had been so close to discovering him and Harry naked in bed. _Together_. That would’ve been fun to explain…

“I’m so proud of you for taking the initiative to get yourself an apartment that I wanted to take you out to brunch today. And also, to see what your place looks like. It’s very nice, I like the curtain colors…” She prattled on and Louis just blinked up at her, trying to act nonchalant and not peek over at his closet door. This was not what he had had in mind for the day after his wedding. In fact, his plans had consisted of Harry and staying in bed. And doing things on said bed; lots of things.

She opened the door further, stepping in and continuing to talk, “Now get up Boo, it’s almost eleven.” She started heading towards his closet and he almost had another heart attack. “Let’s just grab you some clothes.”

“Wait, jeez, Mom. What are you doing?” He wanted to get up to stop her. And possibly direct her to the door out of his room, but he was sort of stark naked at the moment. She just beamed at him, “Helping you pick out an outfit. Don’t think I don’t know you probably haven’t emptied your suitcase yet.”

“No—” She opened the door to the closet before he could continue his excuse. His words died out, his mouth suddenly dry. There was silence for a long moment, Louis was pretty sure he wasn’t breathing.

“Harry?” There was another stilted silence. Louis cringed. “What are you doing here, darling? And in the closet…?”

There was another extended pause, Louis leaning forward to try to see over his mother’s shoulder. To see Harry’s blank expression. At least he’d managed to get changed. Though Louis was pretty sure he was wearing a pair of Louis’ jeans, as they came up past his ankles and fit in all of the wrong places. He was immediately relaxed, though, upon hearing his husband murmur, “I was just, erm, helping Louis unpack his things... You know he wouldn’t get to it without a little bit of help…” Harry began messing around with hanging up one of Louis’ shirts, of which he’d most likely gotten from the open suitcase near his feet.

And Louis’ mother continued staring at Harry. And Louis continued holding his breath.

It wasn’t until she nodded that he let out an exhale, glad Harry had been able to come up with an excuse; however lame it had been.

“Very true. But he shouldn’t be making you do it, darling.” His mother glanced over her shoulder to give Louis a reproachful look before turning her questioning eyes back to Harry. “Why are you here so early, though? I figured Louis would be asleep till midday without anyone here to wake him.”

“Umm…” Harry stalled. He’d been so quick with his excuse earlier, but he seemed to be struggling with this one, Louis could tell. What with the way his brow twitched and his eyes bugged out slightly.

Louis cleared his throat, “Uh, mom. Harry lives here. He’s my roommate.”

Her surprised expression was almost as prominent as the relieved look Harry shot him. “Roommate?” And there was a pause, as she squinted her eyes, looking incredulous, “I thought you wanted a bachelor pad...”

She seemed pleasantly surprised by the turn of events, though, and didn’t continue questioning him after he responded with, “Um well apparently not,” clearing his throat when he’d finished.

Having her almost catch him in bed with Harry was extremely awkward. And Harry staring at him like Louis needed to do something was not helping the situation. Louis just really, _really_ needed his mother to leave.

It seemed his wishes were _finally_ going to be answered as she turned to give Harry one last wide smile before heading for the door. “Well, I’ll call Anne to come have brunch with us then! This is so exciting.” But before they could at last be rid of her, she stopped, momentarily turning back to Louis. “Don’t make Harry do all of your unpacking.” And with that she closed the door behind her.

There was a collective exhale of breath, Louis turning to assess Harry, receiving a relieved, somewhat bewildered look in return. That had been a close fucking call.

And Louis had a moment of considering that it might not have been such a good idea to not tell their mothers that they were getting married; that they had just gotten married the day before.

Louis wondered if he was an idiot for coming up with the idea in the first place…

But upon glancing over at Harry again, to see a small grin starting to play out on those perfect lips, a breathless laugh escaping his own; Louis immediately knew that it had been a great idea. Probably one of his best, if he were being honest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So........... anyways. Thank you a million times to everyone who has read this fic! I do hope you liked it, and I sincerely appreciate all of the lovely comments, kudos', bookmarks, and subscribes you have given it. You are all amazing!  
> I'm still planning on doing a second part, but I plan on uploading another fic in between this and that one, so it may take awhile. Hopefully you'll all want to stick around to see it! [Also, if you have any suggestions, I will gladly take them.] ^_^  
> Lastly I'd like to give another HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out to my best friend, who I wrote this for: Happy Birthday Eliza, you rock!  
> And to all of you lovelies who are starting school soon (R.I.P. myself included), good luck! You're going to do great! And to everyone else not in school, also good luck with whatever you're doing!   
> Lots of love ~ <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you wanted to say 'hi' or wish Eliza a happy birthday, our shared blog is [reeeallygood.](http://reeeallygood.tumblr.com/)


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